GOVERNANCE MATTERS Former Vice President Jejomar Binay A devastating super-typhoon ravaged the country last week, narrowly sparing Metro Manila but leaving a wake of destruction in large parts of Bicol. Not only did it displace thousands of families, it also battered the region’s agricultural...
GOVERNANCE MATTERS Former Vice President Jejomar Binay The National Security Adviser, who is also the head of the government task force against communism, attempted last week to contain the self-inflicted damage wrought by his overzealous spokesperson’s red-tagging of several celebrities by...
GOVERNANCE MATTERS Former Vice President Jejomar Binay In the 1950s, the United States Senate was the venue for anti-communist witch hunts conducted by Senator Joseph McCarthy. The senator whipped up public hysteria and fed on Cold War paranoia by alleging the existence of a massive communist...
GOVERNANCE MATTERS Former Vice President Jejomar Binay It would be foolhardy for anyone to think that the congressman from Taguig, after being unceremoniously ejected from his once lofty position as speaker of the House, would suddenly become a paragon of quiet humility and contrition. He is...
GOVERNANCE MATTERS Former Vice President Jejomar Binay The prestigious John Hopkins University has released a list of countries with the most COVID-19 cases. The Philippines, with over 300,000 cases and new cases being recorded in the thousands daily, ranked 20th in the list. Another list by a...
GOVERNANCE MATTERS Former Vice President Jejomar Binay The speaker appears to have managed to quiet down the recent unrest among his peers in the House of Representatives, but not without again laying bare – like a gaping wound on our body politic – his long-held obsession with power and pork....
Former Vice President Jejomar Binay GOVERNANCE MATTERS As we marked last September 15 our sixth month under a government-imposed lockdown, the media reported that the Palace gave itself a grade of 85 percent for its handling of the pandemic. It was the equivalent of a “very good” grade, said...
Former Vice President Jejomar Binay GOVERNANCE MATTERS The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), run by economists who are by training more circumspect with their projections and parsimonious with hyperboles, sees poverty and unemployment further worsening next year. The takeaway is...
Former Vice President Jejomar Binay GOVERNANCE MATTERS Ever since the government placed Metro Manila and major urban centers under a lockdown, our people have been living in a state of constant fear. The fear is real, not existential. It is brought on by economic uncertainties and the day-to-day...
GOVERNANCE MATTERS Former Vice President Jejomar Binay Last week, Congress received from the Executive the proposed budget for 2021 totalling P4.5-trillion. The budget reflects government’s optimism that the economy will be able to rebound from the recession triggered by the extended lockdown...
GOVERNANCE MATTERS Former Vice President Jejomar Binay I came across two recent developments that convey all too clearly the absence of harmony among the key agencies and institutions undertaking the crucial work of addressing the pandemic and its myriad effects on our economy and everyday life....
GOVERNANCE MATTERS Former Vice President Jejomar Binay Since April, the government has been making discordant statements on its capacity to fund programs to control the coronavirus pandemic and revive the economy. The national leadership says the funds have run out. And until a vaccine arrives,...
