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 Jessi ...

''. These documentaries are "Bitay, “Selda Inosente”, "Buto't Balat", and ''Ambulansiyang de Paa''. She is the previous anchor of '' News to Go'' as well as a host and writer for ''

'' at

GMA Network GMA Network (an acronym of its legal name, Global Media Arts and commonly known as GMA) is a Television in the Philippines, Philippine commercial broadcast network, serving as the flagship property of publicly traded GMA Network (company), ...

. She is currently the host of '' Pinas Sarap'' and also previously hosted the

GMA News TV GMA News TV (GNTV; visually rendered in uppercase in its logo) is a 24-hour Philippine-based international pay television channel owned by Citynet Network Marketing and Productions Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of GMA Network Inc. It was ...

shows '' Power House'' (later known as ''Dream Home'') and ''

Brigada ''Brigada'' (), 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 received criticism for posit ...

''. In addition, she is a professor at the

University of the Philippines Diliman The University of the Philippines Diliman (also called UPD; ), also referred to as UP Diliman, is a State university and college (Philippines), public, coeducational, Research university, research university located in Diliman, Quezon City, Ph ...

. She has a ''

TikTok TikTok, known in mainland China and Hong Kong as Douyin (), is a social media and Short-form content, short-form online video platform owned by Chinese Internet company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which may range in duration f ...

'' 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 Foster Peabody, George Peabody, honor what are described as the most powerful, enlightening, and in ...

, the second Filipino to win this award.

Biography

Kara Patria Constantino David was born on September 12, 1973. She is the second child of professor emeritus

Randy David Randolf "Randy" Siongco David (born January 8, 1946) is a Filipino journalist, sociologist, and public intellectual. He is a professor emeritus of sociology at the University of the Philippines Diliman. He currently pens a weekly newspaper col ...

of the

, and former Chairperson of the

Civil Service Commission A civil service commission (also known as a Public Service Commission) is a government agency or public body that is established by the constitution, or by the legislature, to regulate the employment and working conditions of civil servants, overse ...

, the late Karina Constantino-David. 9851Wedding_Kara_David_LM_Cancio_Betis_Church_Guagua_Pampanga_17

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

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. Arnold Clavio served as the final host. The show concluded on February 25, 2010, with a t ...

'', 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

. She hosted of the informative show '' Pinas Sarap''. In January 2018, David and singer-songwriter LM Cancio were married at Betis Church by her uncle Cardinal-elect

Pablo Virgilio David Pablo Virgilio "Ambo" Siongco David (born March 2, 1959) is a Filipino Catholic prelate who has served as Bishop of Kalookan since 2016. He was auxiliary bishop of San Fernando from 2006 to 2015. He has been president of the Catholic Bis ...

with her father

and Karina Constantino David. She replaced

Jessica Soho Maria Jessica Aspiras Soho (; born March 27, 1964) is a Filipino broadcast journalist affiliated with GMA Network. She is the host of the news magazine program ''Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho'' on GMA, and was the news anchor for '' State of the Na ...

as the host of ''

'' 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 in Mindoro each with its own tribal name, language, and customs. The total population may be around 280,001, but official statistics are difficult to determine under the condi ...

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. 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 Malasakit

Kara David profile
''

GMA News Online GMA Network Inc., commonly known as GMA, is a Philippine media company based in Diliman, Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines. GMA is primarily involved in radio and television broadcasting, with subsidiaries dealing in various media-related ...

''
Kara David blogsite
{{DEFAULTSORT:David, Kara 1973 births Living people Filipino women television journalists People from Guagua People from Capiz Visayan people University of the Philippines Diliman alumni GMA Network (company) people GMA Integrated News and Public Affairs people Peabody Award winners