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BusinessMirror Editorial
Jobs-skills problem
Sometimes it is difficult to truly understand what is going on when you are reading what seems like conflicting stories.
Embracing the challenge
AS we celebrate our 12th anniversary, we are happy to inform our readers, advertisers and supporters in the corporate world, academe and government that the BusinessMirror continues to lead the industry in offering informed perspectives, a broader look at issues and compelling stories. We consistently try to publish content that readers can’t find anywhere else. And, in the era of “fake news”, we will strengthen our advocacy for quality, integrity and distinguished journalism.
It takes money to make money in agri
Any businessman understands that he is required to shell out money before profiting
from his ideas. If he intends to expand, he would have to spend more money to earn more. There is a Filipino expression which goes, “Laway lang ang puhunan”. But rare is a business venture that succeeds just by investing only laway, or all talk.
What about jueteng?
A recent report by our correspondent Ashley Manabat said the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) is losing up to 30 percent of its potential income from the small-town lottery (STL) because of the continued operation of jueteng and other forms of illegal gambling in some provinces.
PHL terror ties just got worse
GLOBAL news headlines have been filled this past week with the fact that Las Vegas mass murderer Stephen Paddock had been living with Philippine-born girlfriend Marilou Danley. Paddock had been to the Philippines at least on two occasions, seen in photographs presumably with Danley’s family and friends.
Autonomy or independence?
We think of unification and globalization as a modern condition where nations come together to form political unions such as, for example, the European Union (EU) and Asean. But the ultimate in political union hit its peak in 1922. At that time the British Empire—with one flag and one government—ruled about 450 million people representing 25 percent of the world’s population and land area.
Economics of smuggling
The discovery of the P6.4 billion worth of shabu that was smuggled into the country through the supposedly secure gates of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) showed us how blatant and shameless smugglers have become with their illegal activities. Despite President Duterte’s zero-tolerance order on corruption at the BOC, smuggling persists because of the continued collusion between unscrupulous importers and some corrupt Customs officials.
Food insecurity in PHL
The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) released last week the 2017 Global Food Security Index (GFSI) that provided a worldwide perspective on which countries are most and least vulnerable to food insecurity and how resource risks increase vulnerability. The GFSI, developed by the EIU and sponsored by chemical and seeds firm DuPont, considered three core pillars of food security—affordability, availability and quality and safety—across 113 countries. It also included a new category on natural resources, which measured a country’s exposure to the impacts of a changing climate, its susceptibility to natural resource risks and how a country is adapting to these risks.
Strengthening Filipino families
Not too many Filipinos might be aware that there is such a thing as a National Family Week and that the country just concluded its 25th-year celebration of the event.
Why China needs Asean and you
During the past decade, China has made studied and steady steps to enlarge its economic influence around the globe. We think of that in terms of issues, such as its military expansion in the South China Sea, but that is a minor factor.
‘Every man for himself’
The end of World War II brought with it the end of colonization from Africa through the Middle East and on to India and Southeast Asia. These newly founded nations, from Morocco to the Philippines, shared little in common at independence except their histories as vassal states.
Ensuring regional power security and sustainability
The Philippines is currently hosting the 35th Asean Ministers on Energy Meeting (Amem), which formally opened on Wednesday. Under the theme, “One Asean Community through Resilient and Sustainable Energy”, the Amem consists of three meetings—the Asean Ministers of Energy Meetings, the Senior Officials Meeting on Energy and the Asean Center for Energy for technical support consultations and dialogue. The meetings will cover the Asean Power Grid, Trans Asean Gas Pipeline, Coal and Clean Coal Technology, Energy Efficiency and Conservation, Renewable Energy, Regional Energy and Planning, and Civilian Nuclear Energy. An exhibit on power and electricity at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City complements these events.
Trimming the fat
Poultry growers in Central Luzon are facing the prospects of a bleak Christmas after farms in the region were struck by bird flu. Despite the pronouncement of the Department of Agriculture (DA) that the worst is over for the poultry sector, farmers remain hesitant to restock their farms. This decision to delay restocking has also affected other producers, such as corn farmers who complained on Monday that the farm-gate price of yellow corn has declined by more than 30 percent due to slower demand.
The power of the purse
The House Appropriations Committee is restoring the full budgets of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) and the National Commission on Indigenous People (NCIP) after initially shrinking their 2018 budgets to just P1,000 each.
Lessons from Luneta and other places
The newspaper headlines told the story: “Protesters Seen with 2 rifles, 1 shotgun, a pistol”. “Protests: Journalists say they were beaten and arrested by police”. “Police Shut Down Protest: 120 Arrested”. “Protests Turn Violent”.
Beware of martial law and the military
From the mid-1820s to 1832, there was a period of violent conflict between the British colonists and Aboriginal Australians in Tasmania. In November 1828 martial law was declared, effectively providing immunity for killing aboriginal people, which was in force for more than three years.