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The Broader Look
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Metro Manila’s pandemic response: How far have some LGUs gone?
WHEN the National Capital Region sneezes, the Philippines catches a cold. More than a year battling Covid-19, the…
Create law cultivates confidence, confusion; booster shot required
REP. Joey Sarte Salceda of Albay took off his sports jacket and ran a hand on his blue…
No parting from debt: PHL to carry weight of borrowing post-Duterte
HERE comes the sun, thanks to Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz. As Diaz lifted a combined 224 kilograms…
‘Born-and-bred’ imports condition threatens to retard PHL meat industry growth
HOTDOGS are having an identity crisis. It’s all because of a three-word phrase: “Born-and-bred.” No, it’s not the…
PHL exporters await fresh preferential perks in trade with US
THE merchandise exports of the Philippines to the United States have been chugging along on well-oiled gears in…
PHL urged to do more in protecting porous digital ‘borders’
CONSIDER this: P52.4 million—the cost of a SINGLE cyberattack at an enterprise-level—is P2.4 million more than the annual…
Barbarians at the cybergate: When defending cyberspace means life and death for many
NUMBERS never lie. But when couched in malicious code, numbers could lie and compromise systems. Hence, from a…
PHL building digital economy blocks one step at a time
ONE and zero. These two binary digits have been, and still are, the building blocks of a new…
In rising tide of financial inclusion, PHL seeks to lift all boats
TWO years ago, then central bank Governor Nestor A. Espenilla Jr. set out to put the country shoulder…
Amid pandemic, Pinays prevail, pound PHL’s pavement for progress
THEY saw Maria Clara. And a marketing agency said she’s no longer the woman Jose Rizal embodied in…
Supply stiffness to stay as shipment issues seen spilling past Yule season
SUPPLY constraints were already a given before the Ever Given blocked the Suez Canal: lockdowns are to blame…
Pandemic forces Filipinos to find fresh financial fountain
SOME fought a virus characterized by a corona with Dalgona; and, the creamy-coffee craze began. The battle against…
Global shipment woes: Additional shocks to PHL’s food supply chain
IT will take about a foot for a spoonful of food to reach the mouth; to reach the…
Still on queue: Returning overseas workers, and their growing economic needs at home
THE answer to government’s problems on returning overseas Filipinos amid the economic and health crises may lie in…
PHL climate change policy? It’s in the air
Greenpeace and other environmental organizations based in the Philippines join advocates across the globe in challenging governments to honor commitments under the Paris Agreement. The agreement, signed on December 12, 2015, seeks to limit global warming to well below 2, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels.
Amid pandemic, insurers grapple with carbon asset risks
While the Philippines may not be one of the largest carbon-emitting countries in the world, it is known to be one of the most vulnerable countries to the impact of greenhouse gas emissions on sustainable development.
PHL addresses legal separation issues with power of law
“FOR richer, for poorer.” These words are often heard from couples tying the knot, vowing to stay together…
Pandemic prompts reckoning of PHL’s recent past, near future
‘TWAS the night before the eighteenth of March, when all through streets in front of houses not a…
Doughnut Economics
In 2012, economist Kate Raworth created what is called “Doughnut Economics” where she proposed a new economic framework…
Of health-care learnings, musings in a pandemic
WHEN the Philippine government reported the first confirmed Covid-19 case in the country back on January 30, 2019,…
Covid-19: In the eyes of a frontliner
JUST like any typical individual who works in the medical field, 47-year-old Jerry De Mesa knows the dangers…
Life after Covid-19
IT’S hard to bounce back after a traumatic medical experience, especially if it is related to Covid-19. By…
Mysteries shroud higher ‘migra-dollars’ to major remittance-receiving countries
SOME call it olfactory memory. It’s what Rodel Guco, standing near where water burbles on one of the…
Shall we dance? It’s Cha-cha time again, but is Constitution just a fall guy for failure?
AS we enter the new decade, liberalizing the Philippine economy by removing constitutional restrictions that have been inhibiting…
The view from the Senate
FROM the vantage point of the Senate, discussions on a supposed “Resolution of BOTH Houses” is not likely…
No love lost: Valentine’s Day-related enterprises ponder profit losses, potentials amid pandemic
THE always stopped and smelled the flowers she sold for more than two decades. Last year, Remedios Cruzat…
Of ‘woke’ and ‘weaponized’ words: Asians take up challenges in media Internet literacy
EIGHTY years ago, British journalist Sefton Delmer began helping win the war against the Germans by wielding the…
OOPS!: Nearly 2-in-10 in Southeast Asia share news on social media before verifying if it’s true
NEWS consumption from mainstream media and online sources have received a huge uptick globally, including countries in Southeast…
Foreign funds for farms, fishponds fan faith PHL can pull through pandemic
SOME Filipinos have been found with a blood type of “H”: Hero. Two groups of Filipinos don’t know…
Loose firearms: Linchpin for gun-related violence
THEN the loud pop-pop-pop of a gun is heard, some people in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim…
Conventional banks seen to uplift Islamic banking industry in PHL
SAY “Islamic banking” and one may conjure images that border on a banal reference to a fourth of…
Mechanization moves agriculture sector slow, but sure, to modern farming
HE stood an arm’s length outside his antebellum home in Gerona, Tarlac, as he did for the past…
Family, faith fortify Filipinos against pandemic, perfidy
A VIRUS the size of a droplet is nearly breaking economies around the world; it made a mother’s…
Entrepreneurs seek to sustain spirit of social enterprise amid crises
ON a long train ride inside a dark tunnel, it’s best to have entrepreneurs as fellow passengers: they…
Of Canvas and Moodle: Educators weigh in on new learning platforms
Lockdown measures against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) has demolished the four corners of the classroom. It wasn’t…
Gold leaf farming sector still searching for own El Dorado
THE past five years of the Philippine tobacco industry paint a bleak future: dwindling tobacco area and declining…
Setting up oasis in pandemic desert: Is credit card rate cap a painful relief?
NOMADIC Bedouin tribes have flourished because of oases, where exhausted travelers take refuge. After facing the wrath of…
‘Viral romance’ of Covid-19, diabetes adds challenges to Pinoys under lockdown
THE world is your oyster; but don’t be one. For one, humans are far from being mollusks; for…
Private, public sectors adjust as pandemic alters the shape of the PHL labor market
THE sky above the labor market has been shaded a light red as pink slips fell after the…
Energy efficiency, conservation remains a challenge for everyone
THE Department of Energy (DOE) has repeatedly spread the gospel that full compliance with the Energy Efficiency and…
Suffer not the children: Stakeholders weigh in on challenges, hopes in helping the vulnerable
A BANGING sound from the front door jolted her mid-morning musing, driblets of black coffee dropping from the…
Back to zero? Pandemic tests efficacy of measures vs proliferation of plastics
ZERO is both the easiest and most difficult goal, especially in waste management; just ask Jovito L. Benosa,…
Safety nets cushion pandemic fallout for poor Filipinos
FOR some, the number 13 is a most unlucky number. But when it comes to cash transfers, it…
Will distance learning work? Parents, teachers not so sure, but hopeful
RESIDENTS of Barangay Buso-Buso in Laurel, Batangas, have more reason to be wary when school opens. The village…
Cut consumption could ‘cancel’ Christmas
Instead of the usual fare of hamon, quezo de bola, salad, leche flan and other Christmas favorites, some Filipino families may likely swap these for roasted chicken, a simple noodle dish, rice and a no-frills dessert from more affordable ingredients.
Private sector’s journey amid pandemic marked by fortitude, innovations
AT the same time a small store’s window is flung open in Muntinlupa, a woman crosses a narrow…
Live or die: Libor phase-out leaves local banking sector with lots of work, options
SOME bankers would consider adjustments to the phaseout of Libor less a labor of love, as the end…
Recovery requires resolve, rapid release of resources–economists
MOTHER Nature—if President Trump’s “kung-fu” virus allegation is disbelieved—could be a bitch, sometimes. She made that point in…
Debt burden: How long can the PHL carry that weight?
By Bernadette D. Nicolas and Tyrone Jasper C. Piad FIVE decades since the The Beatles advised people “to…
Work from home: Legislative foresight helps keep economy running amid pandemic
Overnight, what many businesses had taken too long to acknowledge reluctantly complying with the law’s mandate for each workplace to have its own internal implementing mechanism for telecommuting suddenly became a necessity, not an option. Indeed, it became a matter of survival for millions of workers faced with the chilling reality that the colleagues and friends and clients they mingle with each day could in fact be asymptomatic carriers or “super spreaders” of Covid-19. Or, vice versa, they could be threats to them as well.
Wednesdays with John Mangun: Your choice
I have not been out of my house for 141 days. And I am painfully counting each passing…
Ghost Month Celebration with Adam Sy
August 19 starts the celebration of the Ghost Month, culminating on the Ghost Festival on September 2. BusinessMirror…
Seafarers, ships sound sirens, seek solutions
ACROSS seas, seafarers, their ships and the global cruise ship industry are manning panic stations like never before.…
Poultry farmers, bureaucracy fight bird flu via fortified policy proposals
‘TWAS the best of times for egg farmers; a “damn good” year, one even said, not realizing idioms…
Wednesdays with John Mangun: Nobody likes the godfathers
China is weird. Maybe not the country or the people but certainly the response and reaction to China…
SO, Pa’no NA?
In an unprecedented crisis that has forced governments to take the hard balancing act between saving economies while…
Wednesdays with John Mangun: The Beijing Way
TWENTY-TWENTY will go down as a significant “Year of the Protest,” among other milestones. Perhaps lost in the…
Stakeholders grapple with pandemic’s impact on migrants, PHL labor export policy
A decade ago, the amendment to Republic Act (RA) 8042 was enacted into RA 10022 on July 8, 2010. Those were different times. With migrant workers under pressure from health woes and employment problems in their host countries, government’s overseas employment policy deemed a temporary solution against unemployment is under scrutiny as the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) wreaked havoc on labor sending and receiving countries.
Pandemic highlights PHL property problems for poor Pinoys [Part 2]
“Our system favors making land easily available to private developers for malls and condominiums but not for social housing.” — Marie A. Karaos of the John J. Carroll Institute on Church and Social Issues.
Seafarers, ships sound sirens, seek solutions
By Jeremaiah m. Opiniano / OFW Journalism Consortium Special to the BusinessMirror ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA—Never had Jose Braganza enjoyed…
Wednesdays with John Mangun: Stock market gambling
The “indefinite” shutdown of ABS-CBN sets a dangerous precedent. Of course I am talking about the stock and not the company and its franchise for broadcasting. I will leave that to people more qualified than I am to speak on that issue.
[Backliners] Food delivery can save more lives in this pandemic
When the door closes, a window will open. It happened to Mark Leaño, 25, a rider. He was one of the Angkas riders who was disenfranchised by the government order giving 20,000 riders ceiling to the motorcycle taxi company. Then comes the pandemic. For a month he was dependent on the government 'ayuda" in his home in Tondo. But it was never sufficient for his family.
Pandemic highlights PHL property problems for poor Pinoys
It is estimated that around 2.2 million Filipinos or 5.4 percent of the urban population in 2012 lived…
[Backliners] Making sure food supply and demand are addressed, even while working from home
Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, a typical work week for Zian Serranilla, a Key Accounts Executive of snacks…
Pandemic shapes direction of Duterte administration’s unfinished business
By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz, Butch Fernandez & Bernadette D. Nicolas BORDERING on the cavalier, President Rodrigo…
Wednesdays with John Mangun
Investing in the stock market is like walking on a tightrope and requires being nimble and proactive. It…
Of soybeans, sugar and coconuts: Will PHL farm sector gain from US-China trade war?
The trade war between Beijing and Washington has shaken up the world market since it started in 2018.…
Pandemic highlights PHL property problems for poor Pinoys
“Our system favors making land easily available to private developers for malls and condominiums but not for social housing.” — Marie A. Karaos of the John J. Carroll Institute on Church and Social Issues
Wednesdays with John Mangun
Steady economic policy failures over a prolonged period create lack of confidence in government. This is followed by…
[Backliners] In the toughest battle of our time, they keep the lights on
Their lives are at risk every day, but mostly from hazards they constantly train to handle—the possibility of…
PHL grapples with impact of host countries’ anti-Covid measures on OFW remittances
Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are considered modern-day heroes because they save the economy more than once by sending…
Pandemic highlights PHL property problems for poor Pinoys
Photo & additional reports by Nonilon Reyes / Chief of Photographers First of two parts CLANG. Click. With…
Wednesdays with John Mangun: Understanding price discovery
With all the exciting things going on in the Philippines and around the world, talking about the stock…
[Backliners] How a group of Millennials used social media and technology to help strawberry farmers sell their produce during Covid-19 pandemic
As the lockdown pushed the Philippine supply chain into disarray, farmers found a helping hand from agri-preneurs. Some…
Covid-19 propels city-farming opportunities to centerstage
The coronavirus disease of 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic not only highlighted the flaws of various food systems in the…
Of soybeans, sugar and coconuts: Will PHL farm sector gain from US-China trade war?
THE trade war between Beijing and Washington has shaken up the world market since it started in 2018.…
Wednesdays with John Mangun: Stay frosty, Philippines
From an admonishment to stay alert and on one’s toes, the phrase has evolved to include being prepared, calm, ready for action, and on edge for anything that might come your way. The Philippines needs to be on “stay frosty” mode and to do that now.
Will Pinoys abroad shrug off PhilHealth’s notifications?
By Bernadette D. Nicolas (BusinessMirror) & Jeremaiah M. Opiniano (OFW Journalism ConsortiumReporting from Manila, Philippines and Adelaide, Australia)…
PHL grapples with impact of host countries’ anti-Covid measures on OFW remittances
By Samuel P. Medenilla, Cai U. Ordinario & Tyrone Jasper C. Piad OVERSEAS Filipino workers (OFWs) are considered…
Covid-19 propels city-farming opportunities to centerstage
The coronavirus pandemic not only highlighted the flaws of various food systems in the world but also emphasized one vital thing that has been ailing the farm sector: neglect for food production.
Nursing Wounds: A closer look at the nurses’ deployment ban
LEONIDES Hill, or Diesh to friends, is a single mother of two children and a registered Filipino nurse…
All eyes on the Kaliwa Dam project: Will its benefits outweigh the costs?
As the number of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases in the Philippines breached the 15,000-mark, with majority in…
PHL health system’s howling issues hamper fight vs pandemic
By Cai U. Ordinario, Bernadette D. Nicholas & Jeremaiah M. Opiniano THE foot-thick walls of Catanduanes province’s biggest…
Financial sector rushes to find middle ground in pandemic battlefield
NUMBERS are heartless; but are scary sometimes. P2 trillion and 30 million. The former is the estimated cost…
Shookt!
THE Sars-Cov-2 virus, the strain that causes the coronavirus disease of 2019 (Covid-19), is 0.125 micron in size—so…
Pandemic propels fintech platforms to frontlines, bigger presence in future
How does one fight an isolationist virus unseen by the naked eye? Use an equally invisible tool: bandwidth. With state control on people’s mobility, accessing online platforms to accomplish mundane tasks—like working and shopping—became the better option than risking exposure to a virus health authorities say are passed in people-to-people interaction. These tasks include banking and managing finances with the help of mobile applications, or apps, and financial technology, or fintech.
Travel and tourism sector vows to make it more fun again in the PHL—and safe, too
By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz, Recto S. Mercene and Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo SUN, sand and sea…
Have Feet, Will Walk
How does one go home if there’s neither a public vehicle nor the wherewithal to pay for such service? The workers in this podcast used their feet and walked nearly hundreds of kilometers to reunite with their families in Zambales.
Wednesdays with John Mangun: The Fed fight against Covid-19
On Tuesday morning, March 3, the US Federal Reserve met in “emergency session,” which is outside of the normally scheduled Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meetings. The Fed reduced its benchmark interest rate by 0.50 percent. This policy change was “aimed at shielding the US economy from disruptions caused by the global spread of COVID-19.”
Proposals pushed for fixing PHL’s path to prosperity post-pandemic
The indefatigable spirit of the intrepid Filipino has always driven many bright minds to offer what little hope…
Pandemic propels fintech platforms to frontlines, bigger presence in future
HOW does one fight an isolationist virus unseen by the naked eye? Use an equally invisible tool: bandwidth.…
Proposals pushed for fixing PHL’s path to prosperity post-pandemic
By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz, Samuel P. Medenilla, Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco, Tyrone Jasper C. Piad, Elijah Felice Rosales…
Pandemic locks down PHL, UN in pursuit to achieve sustainable development goals
FIVE years ago, world leaders united to attack the global challenge of poverty and inequality. Five years later,…