Actor David Licauco (left) poses with his grandfather, Jaime T. Licauco (Images courtesy of Facebook) Author Jaime T. Licauco, grandfather of actor David Licauco, has passed away. He was 84. David mourned the loss of his lolo, whom he referred to as "the wisest man" he has ever known. On...
Industry groups are urging the government to rationalize the excise tax system, warning that the current structure is fueling the illicit trade of cigarettes and alternative products, jeopardizing government finances and public health. They said the existing tax framework is misaligned with market...
The world feels more unstable than it has in decades. One day it’s a new trade war shaking up global markets. The next, a breakthrough in AI makes entire job categories uncertain. Add climate disruptions, geopolitical tensions, and economic volatility, and it’s no wonder people are feeling...
With illegal tobacco incidence reaching an all-time high of 18.2 percent in 2024, Philippine Tobacco Institute (PTI) has urged the Marcos administration to recalibrate tax rates to help reverse the declining state of the tobacco industry. The latest industry data showed that illicit cigarettes...
The Philippines touts a 5.6 percent gross domestic product (GDP) growth in 2024, the highest in the region. With the highest GDP growth rate and one of the two biggest national budgets in ASEAN (2021-2025), it has little to show—except the lowest GDP per capita in the region. Besides, our 1.9...
The ongoing trade dispute between the United States (US) and China could benefit manufacturing hotspots in Southeast Asia, such as the Philippines, provided the government implements sweeping reforms to align trade and investment policies with industrial strategies. In a virtual forum hosted by the...
An internet search will easily yield a wide variety of answers about the learning process, but I want to share my own experience and approach to succeeding in it. It really starts with the goal, or what you want to learn or know. From there, you need to gather information about the subject. Once...
Tensions and conflict in the South China Sea (SCS) will not diminish in the foreseeable future as China increases its activities to tighten its grip on the key waterway, National Security Adviser (NSA) Eduardo Año said on Tuesday, May 6. In his speech at an online forum titled “Scarborough...
Inflation would likely fall to a five-year low in 2025, providing policy space for more interest rate cuts supportive of economic growth, according to the think tank Capital Economics. "We expect GDP [gross domestic product] growth in the Philippines to remain relatively strong in 2025, helped by...
The Philippines reported a robust 5.6 percent gross domestic product (GDP) growth in 2024—the highest in the ASEAN region. From 2021 to 2023, the country also allocated the highest national budgets among ASEAN nations (surpassing even Singapore) and tied for second with Malaysia in 2025, just...
Philippine Iron and Steel Institute (PISI) is urging the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to address the prevalence of substandard steel products in hardware stores across the country, citing the potential threat of earthquakes such as the “Big One” that could hit Metro Manila. In an...
Inspired by Holy Week, former Secretary of Health Jimmy Galvez Tan, “the Doctor of the Masses,” requested to interview me in his program on my "7 Last Words/Message” to my family. Dr. Jimmy is a very good friend, my mentor, and a resource teacher in Flor’s Garden in medicinal plants,...
