Kara David Is The Women Of Influence 2026 Mind Opener

Long before Kara David became viral for her now-famous "birthday wish," she had already spent decades doing something far more difficult: telling the stories many people would rather look away from.

For over 30 years in journalism, Kara has stayed committed to documenting realities that are uncomfortable, complex, and deeply human. Her body of work isn't just journalism—it's empathy in action.

Becoming a journalist was never about being on television or becoming a news anchor for Kara. What has always driven her is the privilege of meeting people from different walks of life—and the belief that stories can change someone's future.

"Just one life is enough," she told us during a heartfelt conversation one Saturday morning at Cosmo HQ.

That belief is exactly why her work doesn't stop when the cameras turn off. Beyond the award-winning documentaries and the viral TikTok and Facebook videos that introduce her work to a new generation, Kara also founded Project Malasakit. It's a scholarship foundation she started in 2002, named after a Filipino value that speaks to care, compassion, and responsibility for others.

At her core, Kara is guided by compassion—both as a journalist and as a human being. Every story she tells, every word she writes, reminds us of something simple yet powerful: that people deserve to be seen, and that empathy should move us to action.

Kara: It comes from a place of open-mindedness. Kailangan bukas ang isip, bukas ang puso. Respect sa bawat tao based doon sa kanilang sariling mga panindigan, sa kanilang sariling mga karanasan. Each of us, meron tayong sariling mga pinagdaanan. I try to apply that in my job as a journalist.

Instead of framing people based on just stereotypes, kinikilala talaga namin. Bumababa talaga kami on the field, lalo na with I-Witness. Tapos pagdating ko sa community, kung pwede akong makipamuhay at mag-immerse sa kanila, gagawin ko talaga. Para ma-feel ko kahit papaano, to a certain extent, ano ba yung pinaghugutan ng buhay ng mga taong ito? Hindi mo kasi mararamdaman yung pain at yung hirap ng buhay ng isang tao kung hindi mo, to a certain extent, naranasan yung pinagdaanan niya.

Kaya in I-Witness, even in Pinas Sarap, nakikita ninyo lumulusong din ako. We don't do that just for the challenge. We do that to show people, and for me as well, to feel gaano ba kahirap yung trabaho ng mga magsasaka? Ng mga mangingisda? Then magkakaroon ka ng appreciation for the life of these people.

Kara: Ginawa lang yun ng anak kofor me during the pandemic because I wanted to start a YouTube channel and a TikTok account where I can teach people about the Filipino language and Filipino culture. Gusto ko lang ng outlet. Kasi on TV, siyempre may certain level of seriousness. Mayroon naman akong quirky side na hindi ko pwedeng ilabas masyado sa TV. Pero nakita ko na sa TikTok, pwede kang maging ganon. And I just want to have fun.

Kabuuan ng buhay ko ay serious-serious at nagdo-docu, 'di ba? Meron din akong bahagi na loka-loka, mahilig mag-travel, mahilig tumawa, mahilig kumain. Nakita ko na pwede ilabas sa social media. I think nag-resonate yun with younger people.

Kara: Iba pa rin yung journalism because the journalists—at least the students that we train and the people who enter the journalism business—meron tayong mga prinsipyo na pinaniniwalaan.

May mga prinsipyo tayong pinag-aralan, pinaghusayan, at pinaniniwalaan na hindi dapat nawawala. Yung journalist, mayroong accountability, credibility, at passion for the truth. Yung nagku-kwento ka, gumagawa ka ng balita, hindi dahil alam mo marami ang manonood dito, gumagawa ka ng balita kasi kailangang marinig ito ng mga tao, at kasi ito ang katotohanan. Willing kang ilagay at itaya ang iyong buhay at ang iyong pangalan para doon sa katotohanan iyon.

I don't think influencers or content creators are ready to do those things. Kasi ang content creators, the way I understand it, karamihan ng content na ginagawa nila is to get as many views as possible. Walang masama doon kasi yun naman talaga ang content creation. Pero yung journalism kasi, hindi likes, follows, shares, and views ang number one metric.

Kara: Mapapansin ninyo na marami akong documentaries on the indigenous peoples (IPs). Kasi pakiramdam ko sila yung pinaka-marginalized sa marginalized. Ang dami nang advances in technology, pero atrasado pa rin sila.

Kulang sila sa access sa basic necessities like education, health, and it's a shame, kasi sila ang kanlungan. When I go to the mountains and I interview the indigenous peoples, ang dami kong natututunan tungkol sa buhay. Lagi ko sinasabi, may master's degree ako, pero mas mataas yung level ng wisdom ng mga IPs kumpara sa akin. Every time I go to their communities, ang dami kong dagdag na learnings.

And then, children—stories that involve child laborers. Marami dun sa mga na-interview namin batang manggagawa ay kinukuha namin sa aking maliit na scholarship foundation, Project Malasakit.

Nagpapaaral kami ng mga kapos, poor but deserving Filipino children, and most of them are child laborers. So, it gives me a lot of joy. And seeing these children na napaaral namin, parang binabalik lang niya yung faith ko in humanity. Hindi totoong wala akong magagawa, na hindi totoong walang pag-asa yung Pilipinas.

Bumabalik ba yung hope ko? Oo, hindi ako nagiging jaded. Kasi, kung ganito yung trabaho mo for 30 years—araw-araw nakikita mo yung lahat ng mga corruption, pagnanakaw, patayan, lahat ng mga injustice sa mundo, made-depress ka eh. Malulungkot ka nang bonggang-bongga.

Ayokong tanggapin na hanggang dito lang yung Pilipinas. Ayokong mawalan ng pag-asa.

Kara: Pinaka-ayaw ko yung maging jaded and insensitive. Ayokong ma-desensitize.

So, yung uncle ko, si Cardinal [Pablo] David, may tinuro siya sa akin na isang salita: Compassion. When you feel the pain of other people, you want to take away that pain from your heart. Mula noon hanggang ngayon, it's what has kept me sane.

What do you do to take away that pain? You try to help. Because when you help another person, nababawasan yung pain, yung bigat. Yun yung dahilan bakit ako nagtayo ng scholarship foundation. I know that every day I am bombarded with pain because of the things and the injustices that I see.

Gagamitin ko yung platform ko para makatulong. I will use my stories to be able to effect change. I will use my stories to change kahit isang buhay lang ng bata. Just one life is enough—one viewer's mind, one viewer's heart is enough for me.

Every day, I feel pain, but I always say, this pain is good because it will move me to action.

Kara: The best story comes from an open heart and an open mind. And empathy plays a big role in that. Yun din naman yung message ng Cosmo, 'di ba? To each her own.

Yung maging bukas tayo sa iba, maging open-minded tayo sa buhay ng ibang tao, maging bukas yung puso natin para sa ating kapwa. Kasi pag hindi tayo naniwalang "to each her own," mag-i-impose lang tayo ng ating mga standards, principles, values on other people, and it will lead to discrimination.

Kara: Gain muna: Information is just one click away. Dati, hindi lahat may access sa information. Ngayon kahit yung mga liblib na lugar, may access na sa information. What's the disadvantage? Kung gaano kabilis kumalat yung balita, ganoon kabilis kumalat yung false information. So, mabilis ang impormasyon, pero mabilis din yung pagkalat ng maling impormasyon.

Ngayon, everybody's obsessed with content. That's a gain. Kasi lahat ngayon, gustong manood, gustong matuto, gustong magbasa. What's the disadvantage? Paikli nang paikli ang attention span. Eh hindi lahat ng story pwede ko sabihin in one minute. Doon nagsisimula yung judgment, kapag shino-shortcut mo yung kwento ng mga tao.

Gusto ko, humaba ulit yung attention span ng mga tao. Gagalingan ko na lang sa storytelling. And I'm happy, because our documentary programs, 'pag pinanood mo on TV, one hour. 'Pag pinanood mo on YouTube, mga 30 minutes. I'm happy na ang dami pa rin nanonood ng mga docus.

Kara: Lahat. Sana more stories na tungkol sa mga taong walang access sa technology or sa basic necessities. Ang ginagawa kasi ngayon, yung karamihan, kung sino na lang yung sikat, kung sino yung trending, sila na lang lagi yung ini-interview.

Wala namang masama doon. Pero wag sana natin kalimutan na marami pang tao na nandun sa labas ng trending topics na kailangan din natin mapakinggan.

So hindi kami tumitigil mag-feature ng mga child labor stories, ng mga batang walang access sa education, ng mga communities na walang access sa mga doktor at mga healthcare facilities.

Kasi hangga't may mga batang hindi nakakapag-aral, hangga't may mga batang kailangang mag-trabaho para na makapag-aral sila, hangga't may mga communities na hindi natitingnan ng mga medical specialists simply because malayo sila—hindi tayo dapat tumitigil sa pagkukwento.

Kara: Noong una, hindi ko maintindihan kung bakit nag-viral yung birthday wish ko. It was just me and my family being very playful. Tapos ngayon, 2026 na tapos na po yung birthday ko. Pero hanggang ngayon, marami pa rin bumabati ng happy birthday sa akin. 

Nung una, hindi ko maintindihan bakit naging meme yun. Pero doon sa nakikita ko ngayon sa bansa, yung level ng corruption, yung generations of corruption, and bad governance in the Philippines—na-realize ko siguro, napagod na yung mga tao. It's exasperation.

It just resonated with a lot of people. Not because of me, but because of what our leaders did to our country.

Kara: Yung birthday wish ng lahat ng tao. Hindi ko na kailangang sabihin yun. [laughs] Sana magbago na yung mga politiko. [At] sana bumoto nang tama yung mga tao para magbago na yung mga leaders natin.

Kara: Huwag nating kalimutan na maraming mga babae—maraming mga batang babae—ang hindi nakakakuha ng same rights and privileges that we have. We should use our platform to be able to spread awareness and makapag-advocate tayo na makuha sana ng mga babaeng iyon yung karapatang nakukuha rin natin ngayon.

Ang dami-raming babaeng hindi nakakapag-aral. Ang dami-raming batang babaeng kailangan pang magtrabaho para lang makapag-aral sila. Ang daming mga babaeng na biktima ng discrimination at biktima ng violence. Ang daming mga babaeng mababa pa rin ang tingin nila sa mga sarili nila.

Hindi ibig sabihin na porke tayo, we are able to do all of these things in the media and secure mga buhay natin, ay okay na. Ang dami pa pong kailangan pong tulungan. Sana gamitin natin yung influence natin to be able to change people's lives for the better.

Executive Editor: Ida Aldana

Art Director: Ica Del Mundo

Photographer: Lem Atienza, assisted by Yani Espiel, Yuan David, Nicole Evans, and Rafi Lopez

Hair and Makeup: Team Muriel Vega Perez

Story: Kate Sarmiento

Producer: Alyana Olivar
Video: Cherrie Julian and Jino Del Mundo, assisted by Alfred Locsin & George Tuliao

Social Media: Aina Lizarondo, assisted by Margaux Bataclan