Kara Patria Constantino David-Cancio (born September 12, 1973) is a Filipino journalist, host, professor, and educational administrator.
She is known because of investigative and multi-awarded documentaries in ''
i-Witness
''i-Witness'', formerly ''i-Witness: The GMA Documentaries'' is a Philippine television documentary show broadcast by GMA Network and GMA News TV. Originally hosted by Vicky Morales, Luchi Cruz-Valdes, Mike Enriquez, Cheche Lazaro and Jessica ...
''. These documentaries are "Bitay, “Selda Inosente”, "Buto't Balat", and ''Ambulansiyang de Paa''.
She is the previous anchor of ''
News to Go
''News to Go'' is a Philippine television news broadcasting show broadcast by GMA News TV. Hosted by Kara David and Howie Severino, it premiered on February 28, 2011 and worldwide on GMA News TV International. The show concluded on May 31, 201 ...
'' as well as a host and writer for ''
i-Witness
''i-Witness'', formerly ''i-Witness: The GMA Documentaries'' is a Philippine television documentary show broadcast by GMA Network and GMA News TV. Originally hosted by Vicky Morales, Luchi Cruz-Valdes, Mike Enriquez, Cheche Lazaro and Jessica ...
'' at
GMA Network
GMA Network (Global Media Arts or simply GMA) is a Philippine free-to-air television and radio network. It is the flagship property of publicly traded GMA Network, Inc. Its first broadcast on television was on October 29, 1961. GMA Network (f ...
. She became the host of Powerhouse and is currently the host of ''
Brigada
''Brigada'' (russian: Бригада), also known as ''Law of the Lawless'', is a Russian 15-episode crime television miniseries that debuted in 2002. It became very popular in Russia and ex-Soviet countries as well as Eastern Europe, but recei ...
'' and ''
Pinas Sarap''. In addition, she is a professor at the
University of the Philippines-Diliman
, image = University of The Philippines seal.svg
, image_size = 175px
, caption = Official Logo of UP Diliman
, motto = Honor and Excellence
, established = February 12, 194 ...
. She has a ''
TikTok
TikTok, known in China as Douyin (), is a short-form video hosting service owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which can range in duration from 15 seconds to 10 minutes.
TikTok is an international version ...
'' account and ''YouTube'' channel to share her knowledge in Journalism and other things.
She is the founder and president of Project Malasakit, a foundation that helps the people she has featured in her documentaries.
David was the only woman named in 2007's Ten Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) award. In 2010, she was awarded the Outstanding Women in the Nation's Service (TOWNS award). David won the
Peabody Award
The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Peabody, honor the most powerful, enlightening, and invigorating stories in television, radio, and ...
,
the second Filipino to win this award.
Biography
Kara Patria Constantino David was born to Professor Emeritus
Randy David of the
University of the Philippines Diliman
, image = University of The Philippines seal.svg
, image_size = 175px
, caption = Official Logo of UP Diliman
, motto = Honor and Excellence
, established = February 12, 194 ...
and former Chairperson of the
Civil Service Commission
A civil service commission is a government agency that is constituted by legislature to regulate the employment and working conditions of civil servants, oversee hiring and promotions, and promote the values of the public service. Its role is rou ...
, the late
Karina Constantino-David.
She graduated cum laude from the University of the Philippines Diliman with the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Communication. She then worked as a production assistant and researcher for
GMA Network
GMA Network (Global Media Arts or simply GMA) is a Philippine free-to-air television and radio network. It is the flagship property of publicly traded GMA Network, Inc. Its first broadcast on television was on October 29, 1961. GMA Network (f ...
in 1995.
She was promoted as writer/researcher for the program “Emergency” and hosted “Huling Hirit”, a regular two-minute segment in the daily news doing adventure-oriented and inspiring features.
David also hosted several public affairs programs such as ''
Case Unclosed
''Case Unclosed'' is a Philippine television documentary show broadcast by GMA Network. Originally hosted by Kara David, it premiered on October 2, 2008, replacing '' 100% Pinoy!''. Arnold Clavio served as the final host. The show concluded on ...
'', a documentary program that investigates unsolved cases and mysteries. She hosted ''
OFW Diaries
''OFW Diaries'' is a Philippine television documentary show broadcast by GMA Network. Hosted by Kara David, it premiered on March 13, 2009 replacing ''Emergency''. The show concluded on January 14, 2011 with a total of 104 episodes. It was repla ...
'', a public service program that reaches out to Filipino overseas workers. She is the news anchor of ''
News to Go
''News to Go'' is a Philippine television news broadcasting show broadcast by GMA News TV. Hosted by Kara David and Howie Severino, it premiered on February 28, 2011 and worldwide on GMA News TV International. The show concluded on May 31, 201 ...
'', a former morning news program on
GMA News TV
GMA News TV (GNTV; visually rendered in its logo in all capital letters as GMA NEWS TV) is a 24-hour Philippine-based international pay television channel owned by Citynet Network Marketing and Productions Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of GM ...
.She hosted of the informative show ''
Pinas Sarap''.
She replaced
Jessica Soho
Maria Jessica Aspiras Soho (; born March 27, 1964) is a Filipino broadcast journalist known as the host of the news magazine program ''Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho'' (2004present) on GMA Network. She formerly anchored the newscast ''State of the N ...
as the host of ''
Brigada
''Brigada'' (russian: Бригада), also known as ''Law of the Lawless'', is a Russian 15-episode crime television miniseries that debuted in 2002. It became very popular in Russia and ex-Soviet countries as well as Eastern Europe, but recei ...
'' on June 11, 2019.
On June 30, 2022, it was announced that David will be heading the Department of Journalism of the University of the Philippines Diliman College of Mass Communication as its chairperson.
Documentary films
David has almost a hundred documentaries to her name. In “Bitay” she helped stop the execution of a convict on death row. For this, she was honored as Investigative Journalist of the Year by the Rotary Club of Manila. In the documentary “Selda Inosente”, David entered the world of children born and raised in prison. The film won her the UNICEF Child Rights Award, besting more than a hundred entries from all over the world.
In ''Buto’t Balat'', she explored the state of malnutrition in the country and the reality that extreme inequalities and the absence of concrete and cohesive nutrition and population policy have resulted in a state not far from what occurs in Africa. For this documentary, she was chosen as one of twenty finalists for the Japan Prize. She won a silver medal at the US International Film & Video Festival.
''Ambulansiyang de Paa'' is about the lack of access to health services of the
Mangyan
Mangyan is the generic name for the eight indigenous groups found on the island of Mindoro, southwest of the island of Luzon, the Philippines, each with its own tribal name, language, and customs. The total population may be around 280,001, ...
tribe, who live in
Mindoro Oriental
Oriental Mindoro ( tl, Silangang Mindoro), officially the Province of Oriental Mindoro, is a province in the Philippines located on the island of Mindoro under Mimaropa region in Luzon, about southwest of Manila. The province is bordered by th ...
. David documented the plight of the Mangyans, who have to carry their sick in hammocks for eight hours just to get to the nearest hospital. This documentary won the Peabody Award. David is the second Filipino to win this recognition.
In 2007, David was chosen as one of the Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) of the country
and was honored as Broadcast Journalist of the Year. In 2011, she was chosen as one of the Ten Outstanding Women in the Nation's Service (TOWNS).
Project Malasakit
In 2002, David founded ''Project Malasakit'' – a non-stock non-profit foundation that sends poor Filipino children to school.
It embarks on community outreach programs that give food, medicine, and school supplies to remote communities that do not have access to basic government service. Project Malasakit now has 25 scholars (most of them child laborers and victims of child abuse). It has helped more than 800 families through its quarterly outreach programs. David has also embarked on long-term projects for communities.
''Paraisong Uhaw'', her documentary on waterless communities in Masbate, has led to the construction of 10 water wells in the municipality of Balud. David and her Project Malasakit team also constructed a sustainable solar power facility in a community of Mangyans in Mindoro Province
Accolades
International awards
Local awards
References
External links
Project MalasakitKara David profile ''
GMA News Online
GMA Network, Inc., commonly known as GMA, is a Philippine media company based in Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines. It is primarily involved in radio and television broadcasting, with subsidiaries dealing in various media related businesses. ...
''
Kara David blogsite
{{DEFAULTSORT:David, Kara
1973 births
Living people
Filipino television journalists
People from Guagua
People from Capiz
Visayan people
University of the Philippines Diliman alumni
GMA Network personalities
GMA News and Public Affairs people
Peabody Award winners