FROM THE MARGINS In my previous article, I lamented the declining contribution of agriculture to the country’s gross domestic product. As we are an agricultural country that is rich in natural resources, we should aim to grow our agricultural sector to a level that surpasses services and industry...
FROM THE MARGINS The future is Agriculture 4.0. Slowly but surely, the breakthroughs in technology that have transformed other industries is changing agriculture. Connectivity, mobile adoption, artificial intelligence, and other emerging technologies are transforming the whole agricultural value...
FROM THE MARGINS The President has appointed a new tax chief. Atty. Romeo Lumagui, Jr., tax lawyer and former Deputy Commissioner for Operations, recently took his oath, assuming leadership of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) amidst many challenges. With global inflation and an economy bearing...
FROM THE MARGINS JAIME ARISTOTLE B. ALIP, PHD According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, our economy expanded 7.6 percent in the third quarter of 2022, compared to last year. The agriculture, forestry, and fishing sector also rose by 2.2 percent, a turnaround from a -1.7 percent decline in...
FROM THE MARGINS Last week, House Speaker Martin Romuldez vowed to pass by December the administration’s priority bills, including the Passive Income and Financial Intermediary Taxation Act (PIFITA), the last tranche of the government’s Comprehensive Tax Reform Program. The PIFITA is laudable...
FROM THE MARGINS The world is increasingly becoming digital. Many of our kababayans now buy and sell goods online. People take online classes, track their exercise regimen on FitBit, and use Facebook to keep in touch. More are choosing tablets over news print, and Viber over phone lines. The...
FROM THE MARGINS Microfinance – previously known as microcredit — had a simple premise: giving small loans to the poor would help their microenterprises, which would lift them out of poverty. When they pay back the loan, the money can be lent to other borrowers, improving the lives of more...
FROM THE MARGINS Once touted as something of a miracle cure for global poverty, microfinance used to be a high-profile and generously-funded development intervention. In recent years, however, support for the sector has dwindled, with development finance institutions moving on to new disruptive...
FROM THE MARGINS Hungry stomachs do not wait. Thus, it is not surprising that economic-related issues topped the latest Pulse Asia survey on the most urgent concerns that people want the new administration to prioritize. Though not definitive, this nationwide survey provides the government a useful...
FROM THE MARGINS Today, three weeks after he assumed office, President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. delivers his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) for the opening session of the 19th Congress. Like many of our kababayans, I wait with bated breath as he outlines the key policies and priorities of...
FROM THE MARGINS JAIME ARISTOTLE B. ALIP, PHD Putting agriculture at the forefront of our development agenda is a good move on the part of President Marcos. His assumption of the post of Agriculture Secretary is an affirmation of the promise made during his presidential campaign to lower the price...
