Kara David
A fearless journalist who gave a voice to the forgotten, using her camera to expose injustice and champion the marginalized in Philippine society.
Born 1973 (age 53)·Filipino journalist and television host·Birthday: September 12·Generation X
Biography
Kara David carved a distinct path in Philippine media, moving beyond the anchor desk to become a documentarian of the country's unseen struggles. The daughter of academics, she brought a professor's rigor and a storyteller's heart to her work on GMA Network's i-Witness. Her films, often shot over months of immersive reporting, turned a spotlight on prison life, indigenous communities, and the daily ingenuity of the poor, earning her deep trust and numerous awards. This commitment extended off-screen; she founded Project Malasakit, a non-profit channeling viewer support directly to the individuals and causes her documentaries featured. Later, she balanced this with a role as a university administrator, shaping the next generation of journalists, proving her impact was as much about building institutions as it was about breaking stories.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Kara was born in 1973, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Kara Was Born
The biggest hits of 1973
#1 Movie
The Exorcist
Best Picture
The Sting
#1 TV Show
All in the Family
Kara's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1973Born
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1978Started school
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1986Became a teenager
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1989Could drive
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1991Could vote
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
1994Turned 21
Nelson Mandela elected president of South Africa
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $90,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"The Sign" — Ace of BaseBest Picture: Forrest Gump
2003Turned 30
US invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completed
Gas: $1.59/galHome: $146,000Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"In Da Club" — 50 CentBest Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2013Turned 40
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
2023Turned 50
ChatGPT goes mainstream; Israel-Hamas war begins
Gas: $3.52/galHome: $361,600Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Flowers" — Miley CyrusBest Picture: Oppenheimer
2026Age 53 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won multiple honors for her groundbreaking i-Witness documentaries, including 'Ambulansiyang de Paa' and 'Buto't Balat'.
- Founded Project Malasakit, a non-profit organization that provides direct aid to marginalized Filipinos featured in her reports.
- Served as a professor and later as the Vice President for Public Affairs at the University of the Philippines.
- Received the prestigious George Foster Peabody Award for her documentary 'Bitay' on death row inmates.
Did You Know?
She is the daughter of anthropologist and National Scientist Dr. F. Landa Jocano.
Her documentary 'Ambulansiyang de Paa' documented a community that used makeshift stretchers to carry sick people over mountains for hours to reach medical care.
She began her media career as a researcher for the popular Philippine news magazine show 'The Probe Team'.
“I believe that journalism should not end when the camera is turned off.”
