Faced by continuing economic doldrums and a raging pandemic, President Duterte certified as urgent the immediate enactment of Senate Bill No. 2094 amending the Public Service Act, Senate Bill No. 1156 amending the Foreign Investments Act of 1991, and Senate Bill No. 1840 amending the Retail Trade...
After two weeks of the strictest lockdown phase, the National Capital Region Plus bubble has been placed under the less restrictive Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ). Also placed under MECQ were Abra province and Santiago City in Isabela. More than a year after the entire Luzon was...
The acceleration of digital transformation is one of the significant beneficial developments triggered by the pandemic. Day-to-day transactions, especially online buying and selling of food, medicines and other essential goods and services are now facilitated by digital technology. Most...
On April 6, 1961 or exactly 60 years ago this week, Congress passed Republic Act 3022 that was signed into law by President Carlos P. Garcia “proclaiming the ninth day of April as Bataan Day and declaring it as a legal holiday.” The continuing observance of quarantine restrictions mutes anew...
In a move that deserves public commendation, the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) barred the state-run Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corporation (PSALM) from passing on to consumers new universal charges (UC) for stranded debts (SD) and stranded contract costs (SCC). The focal...
The pervasive, long term harm brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic emerges with greater clarity more than a year after its onset. The inequality between men and women has widened, due to the disproportionate burden borne by women who have lost more jobs and have taken on the burden of childcare...
With the promulgation last week of the implementing rules and regulations of the Financial Institutions Strategic Transfer (FIST) Act (Republic Act No. 11523), the government has delivered a solid jab into the financial muscle of banks as prime movers of business and industrial growth that has...
‘Red tape’ is a politically correct phrase that refers to over regulation, excessive and redundant processes that delay action and make service inefficient, resulting in high cost of doing business. This is not only common in government agencies, but red tape also happens in large private...
The first known use of Calvary, according to Merriam-Webster, was in 1738. It is the modern version of Golgotha, literally “skull,” and a place outside the walls of Jerusalem where Jesus Christ was crucified. With COVID-19 still rampant, it is humanity’s Calvary. While the arduous climb...
On the night of Holy Thursday, at the Last Supper, Jesus Christ issued a commandment to His disciples, “Love one another,” then washed their feet as an act of humility and kindness. Hence, it is also called Maundy Thursday, as it is derived from the Latin word for “command.” While the...
World Water Day, observed on March 22 of each year, seeks to create heightened awareness of the global water crisis. Some 2.2 billion people live without access to safe water resources. It calls attention to the attainment of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 6): water and...
On the eve of the Holy Week observance, President Duterte placed Metro Manila, Bulacan, Rizal, Laguna and Cavite under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), the strictest quarantine status, from March 29 to April 4. This was prompted by a surge in COVID-19 infection: the number of new cases daily...
