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Benjo Laygo
One nation united: Is Duterte’s federalism PHL’s path to growth?
BusinessMirror Reporters VG. Cabuag, David Cagahastian, Manuel T. Cayon, Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz, Cai U. Ordinario, Mary Grace C. Padin, Catherine N. Pillas, Joel R. San Juan and Butch Fernandez
When the hospital bill kills the patient
POVERTY kills people and robs them of human dignity. In the Philippines, poor people in direst need for health care are greatly underserved. This says a lot about our government’s ability to uphold a constitutional provision that says “the State shall protect and promote the right to health of the people and instill health consciousness among them.”
The more difficult issues in the presidential debate
AS expected, the presidential candidates on Sunday’s debate made a lot of promises to the electorate: to strengthen public administration, to widen the reach of social services, to enforce the law equally to all without fear or favor, etc. There’s nothing wrong with these proposals, except that they all pertain to the demand side of the equation—how to spend the people’s money; not to the supply side—the generation of resources that will make the realization of the promises possible, which is the real challenge.
Deciding what is important
WE are not sure if it is a topic for discussion in other countries and societies but it seems that we spend a lot of time criticizing fellow Filipinos for not being engaged and concerned about the “bigger problems”.
Where is the money coming from?
THEY hit the ground running. On the opening day of the elections on launching sites deemed occupied by supporters, the candidates for the highest position in the land harangued their audiences with what they will do in the event of their election: Increase the Conditional Cash-Transfer Program, broaden medical coverage, widen free education, deepen social-security benefits, provide financial support to small enterprises and increase senior-citizen entitlements.
The butler did it
IT is a known fact that Filipinos love to gossip, so it came as a surprise that British national Josephine Ive, a butler who has worked for Queen Elizabeth II, said our countrymen would make excellent butlers.
Open skies: We have work to do
THE recent signing by the Philippine government of the 2009 Multilateral Agreement on Air Services that will give airlines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) rights to operate between capital cities in the region is most welcome. As Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio A. Abaya says, it will “enhance regional trade and investment opportunities for Philippine businesses, as well as provide Filipino individuals better access to job and educational opportunities in the Asean region.” But there is a fly in the ointment.
Once more on Mr. Duterte
IT’S a go, at last, for former Davao City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte. The Commission on Elections
(Comelec) has just dismissed all petitions for his disqualification. The petitioners may still go up to the Supreme Court for a reconsideration, but their efforts are not likely to produce the result they are aiming at. For all practical purposes, the mayor and his followers can now mount a full complement presidential campaign.
The impact of responsible and sustainable mining
OCEANGOLD Country Director Bradley Norman explained that if mining was an easy job to do, everyone would be doing it.
Not fair trade, not free trade but bad trade
THE Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) was signed by the 12 member-states in Auckland, New Zealand, on Thursday, with ratification of the treaty’s text in each nation the next step in the process. The Philippines is definitely joining the TPP agreement, Trade Secretary Adrian S. Cristobal Jr. said in January.
Competition or government picking the winners and losers?
THE Philippine Competition Act, or Republic Act 10667, was passed and signed into law in July 2015. Newly designated Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) Chairman Arsenio M. Balisacan is now working on the implementing rules and regulations.
The butterflies of Larlina
LARLINA PARRONE HALPIN does not raise butterflies; she rescues them.
Gen. Antonio Luna: A great hero of our race
IN this age of globalization, when even states are expected to yield a part of their sovereignty as a price for their participation in the economic and political activities of the community of nations, it is difficult to speak of nationalism without sounding passé or even irrelevant.
Metro Manila’s traffic woes: Anything being done about them?
IT was the most insensitive statement any public official could make—that the traffic problem of Metro Manila was not all that bad, as it was “not fatal” anyway.
Dancing on the Titanic
IN spite of all the criticisms leveled at the Philippine political class, you have to give them credit for their perseverance and focus.
Does God hate money?
NO Holy Week message would ever be complete—in a business paper like ours, at least—if we fail to talk of how God views money.
Rights and freedom: Bridging the digital divide
THE Philippines and its online community have made great strides in the Internet arena. We are the social-media capital of the world and have the fifth fastest-growing e-commerce usage globally. A Time magazine article has put Makati on the top spot as the “selfie capital” of the world.
Forging peace in Mindanao
FOR the past few weeks, a series of television commercials and radio spots, as well as print ads, have been airing nationwide providing information about the relationship of the European Union (EU) and the Philippines. These infomercials highlight various aspects of Philippine relations with European countries, in terms of trade, education, and health and wellness.
For responsible leaderships in LGUs
A DISTURBING report coming from the Department of Finance (DOF) shows that 14 provinces and 26 cities have not submitted information on their receipts and expenditures for fiscal year 2012. As required by the DOF, the reports are needed for an assessment of performance by local government units (LGUs) in revenue generation, expenditure management and assets market-value updating. The aim is to regularly publish the information “in the spirit of accountability and good financial housekeeping.”
Job creation in the age of technology
JOB creation is posing a crucial challenge to policy-makers here and in other parts of the world. Efforts to create jobs must come to grips with what can be called the emerging technological age. The new technological age, simply described, has a strong bias against simple labor and in favor of higher quality labor.
PHL: Where debt is not a problem
THE headlines, not only in Manila but around the globe, were nearly universal in proclaiming that alarm bells were sounding on rising government and household debts.
Already a failed state
THE tragedy and disaster that occurred in Mamasapano, Maguindanao is not going away easily or without long term repercussions.
Digging one’s grave
I like to propose something controversial: Let us forgive our president. People are not about to forgive President Aquino, or his sister, or his name. The President has dug his grave many times. Let us forgive him then. He spoke ill of priests before the highest of priests. In a country where a welcome means good words and good feelings, our president decided to be negative about relations of institutions in this country.
Investments in peace
GROWTH, both social and economic, thrives in an atmosphere of peace and cast-iron certainty for that peace to continue in the future. Any disruption of that environment by violence, even small and isolated, strikes at all attempts for development where it hurts the most: investment.
Restoring ties with Cuba
UNITED States President Barack Obama’s recent announcement of efforts to normalize relations between his country and Cuba should provide the Philippines with the opportunity to resume active diplomatic ties with the Caribbean island-nation. These ties have been fluctuating in the last 50 years—partially closing in 1961, reopening in 1975 and then closing again in 2012. They now need to be stabilized and normalized.
Diplahan ‘lechon’
A DIFFERENT kind of lechon (roast suckling pig)—slow-cooked on charcoal for two hours after being marinated in secret herbs and spices; and served, not with the usual liver sauce, but with homemade vinegar—is catching the imagination—and whetting the appetite—of Christmas revelers after it was learned that the lechon reputedly contains less fat and that the enterprise making this very tasty food item uses only native pigs.
MVP group owes Ejap P0.2M
IT seems the Manuel V. Pangilinan (MVP) group has overlooked its obligation to pay P200,000 to the Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines (Ejap) for the organization’s Christmas event last year and its sportsfest this year.