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BusinessMirror Editorial
Freedom of speech: Responsibility and accountability
THE Internet has changed not only the way we obtain our news, but also how people react to that information. Those who obtain their daily news from online newspapers and from social media know that a person can make comments on the news articles.
The police are protecting the poor
SITTING in the safety and comfort of their middle-class lifestyles, too many people are now experts about illegal drugs. There are only two groups that understand that business well—law enforcers and the producers and suppliers of the drugs.
More than just peace, but lasting reforms
TO finally put an end to the longest-running communist insurgency in Asia, the Philippine government has agreed to open peace talks with the National Democratic Front (NDF). Negotiators from both the government and the NDF met in Oslo, Norway, where both parties will be discussing and negotiating the terms of the peace agreement.
Adopt Portugal’s ‘legal drug’ policy?
The easiest solution to a crime problem is to make legal whatever is currently a criminal activity. Of course, that sort of defeats the whole purpose of criminalizing an activity that society would like to stop. However, the idea of what constitutes a “criminal activity” is fluid not only over time but from place to place.
Change is here, can we give it a chance?
Isn’t it wonderful to have a leader like President Duterte, who can make the hard decisions necessary to put order to a country in chaos? When Mr. Duterte decided to run for president he was forthcoming in his promise to bring change, wasn’t he? Isn’t change what the whole Philippines wanted then, which is why millions of voters embraced him? Now, change is here, but why are some people adamant to give it a chance? Did they expect change to be easy?
Public lives and private matters
IT is a question that has been around since the earliest days of ancient Greek democracy. What is the philosophical and practical connection between public life in contrast to private life?
The web is breaking
THE Duterte administration’s battle against illegal drugs and crime is ugly and bloody. It is dangerous in that it could lead down a road of increased government control where none of us want to go. It has cast the Philippines in a poor light not only for the “solution,” but for the “problem”.
Opening up to unsolicited proposal
To provide us with needed infrastructure, several unsolicited proposals from the private sector have been submitted for approval.
Human-rights hypocrisy
THE Church of San Joaquin is the Roman Catholic parish church of the town of San Joaquin in Iloilo province. Built in 1869, the church is unique for its bold depiction on the façade in bas-relief of the Battle of Tetuán, when the Spanish army defeated the Muslim forces of the Moroccan army.
Let’s help Duterte kill the ‘signature industry’
Filipinos have endured for the longest time the blatant inefficiency of government services. Everybody knows how long it takes for the government to process an application. Whether it is for a business permit, license, clearance, passport, loans or claims, it’s the same old story: Each process will test your patience. President Duterte himself has denounced the system where a government agency will require you to go to another government office for a document needed to process your application, only to find out that you need another form from another government agency for that one piece of document.
It is still all about the PHL economy
PRESIDENT Duterte promised voters he would hit the ground running upon his election, and that is certainly true. While the emphasis has been on the administration’s war on crime and drugs, there have already been some positive initiatives and movement, such as in transportation.
Do we need the new speed-limiter law?
The growing number of vehicles on Metro Manila roads has worsened traffic and increased the number of accidents. In a recent report published by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, 34 people die each day from traffic mishaps. In 2015 alone, the agency recorded a total of 95,615 vehicle collisions. Out of the total number, 518 of the accidents involved fatalities, 17,103 injuries and 77,993 caused property damage.
The real Goliath PHL is fighting
Prior to the International Court of Arbitration decision, we were told that this was a battle between the “David” of the Philippines and the “Goliath” of China. Since then—with the exception of Japan and, to a lesser extent, the US—the global reaction has been mostly “Goliath what? David who?”
President to name, shame tax cheats
The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) earned its reputation as one of the most corrupt government agencies because, for the longest time, it has been a center of dishonest practices. But the evil of corruption in government always comes in pairs. As an old saw goes, “it takes two to tango.” Ironically, bribe-givers see nothing wrong when they offer grease money to evade paying correct taxes. In their eyes, only those who receive the bribes are corrupt. It’s time to stop the charade. We, the Filipino people, must take our share of the blame for our role in creating an execrable agency.
Press and media: Your last defense
During the last months we have, at times, expressed some apprehension and disappointment with the local press and media. As part of the ALC Group of Companies along with Philippines Graphic magazine, CNN Philippines, and radio station DWIZ, we want only the best for the industry.
The drug war hypocrisy
THE global hypocrisy about the Duterte administration’s so-called war on drugs makes a Manila estero smell sweet by comparison. “Look at Columbia,” the local and foreign experts say. Even the government there—Columbia being the world’s largest producer of cocaine—admits it has failed. “Look at Mexico,” where 100,000 people have been killed and the drug trade is still rampant.
Who voted for this?
The results of the 1984 United States presidential election had Ronald Reagan winning his second term in office with 58.8 percent of the popular vote. An apocryphal story circulated that an uptown Manhattan wealthy New York City socialite supposedly said, “How could he win twice? I don’t know anyone that voted for this.”
The ‘Old Folks Club’
A recent column in another newspaper was titled “A senior-citizen Cabinet” and examined the fact that the vast majority are in their middle to late 60s. We can respect the position of the author since he, too, may be carrying his own identification from the local “Office for Senior Citizens Affairs.”