Kara David

Kara Patria Constantino David was born on September 12, 1973. She is the second child of Professor Emeritus Randy David of the University of the Philippines Diliman CLTV36, Hosts Ms. Aizeline David-Manzon and former Chairperson of the Civil Service Commission, the late Karina Constantino-David.[1][14][15]

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 in 1995.[13] 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.[16]

David also hosted several public affairs programs such as Case Unclosed, a documentary program that investigates unsolved cases and mysteries. She hosted OFW Diaries, a public service program that reaches out to Filipino overseas workers. She is the news anchor of News to Go, a former morning news program on GMA News TV.She hosted of the informative show Pinas Sarap.[13]

She replaced Jessica Soho as the host of Brigada on June 11, 2019.[17]

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.[18]

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.[19]

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.[20]

Ambulansiyang de Paa is about the lack of access to health services of the Mangyan tribe, who live in Mindoro Oriental. 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.[21][22]

In 2007, David was chosen as one of the Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) of the country[23] 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).[24]

In 2002, David founded Project Malasakit – a non-stock non-profit foundation that sends poor Filipino children to school.[19][25]

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.[26] 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. [27]

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[28]

• Project Malasakit Archived December 17, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
• Kara David profile, GMA News Online
• Kara David blogsite