UNDER THE MICROSCOPE With the bill granting the president emergency powers regarding the energy crisis already passed, the president should not just reduce the excise tax on fuels. Rather, he should totally remove it, even temporarily, to give the people some breathing space amid the tightening...
UNDER THE MICROSCOPE In many countries, most people don’t drive cars. They take mass transport that is efficient, clean and runs on time. Before the Second World War, Manila had the tramvia, an electrified bus running along defined routes, attached to an overhead cable from which it draws power....
The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) has expanded its Yaman ng Kalusugan Program (YAKAP), increasing free medicines to 75 and adding screening tests for four of the country’s most common cancers. Under the regular YAKAP package, members are entitled to free consultations, 13...
Only five companies from the Philippines made it to Forbes Asia’s 2025 Best Under A Billion list, which recognizes 200 top-performing small and mid-sized listed companies in the Asia-Pacific region. Filipino companies in the list are led by Converge Information & Communications Technology...
The Philippines’ pop sensation BINI leads five Filipinos highlighted in Forbes Asia’s 10th annual edition of its “30 Under 30 Asia” list which features 300 young entrepreneurs, leaders and innovators across the Asia-Pacific region, all under the age of 30. Those who made it to the list...
UNDER THE MICROSCOPE For the past 20 years or so, we haven’t joined the mad rush during Holy Week when people drive or fly out of Metro Manila like lemmings jumping off a cliff. What’s the point of going to Baguio for a change when you’ll encounter the same gang of folks from the city...
UNDER THE MICROSCOPE Never did I imagine I would have the privilege and honor to have a classmate who surpassed the expectations of not just myself but the University of the Philippines as well. I have known Francisco Sy since our pre-med days as an affable, mild-mannered scholarly type. We...
UNDER THE MICROSCOPE Two incidents in the past week highlighted the issue of road rage, which is increasingly common. A viral video showed an SUV driver in fisticuffs with three motorcycle riders, and being outnumbered, drew his gun and fired at the assailants. He hit all three and also...
UNDER THE MICROSCOPE Many of us spend a lot of time on their gadgets-phones, laptops, or desktops, for communication, entertainment, information, news and most importantly, for a living, since a lot of us work online from home. Ever since the Covid-19 pandemic, we have been increasingly...
UNDER THE MICROSCOPE What a week it had been. The Duterte saga has captivated the attention, not just of Filipinos, but of the world as well. The arrest of the former Philippine president for crimes against humanity was on international news networks, which didn’t do any good for the image...
UNDER THE MICROSCOPE The world is experiencing a rapid increase in temperatures, with heat records broken almost daily, due to the now-undeniable effects of climate change. With increasing hot weather comes the accompanying shifts in the seasons, when rainfall is increased and irregular in...
UNDER THE MICROSCOPE Measles is making a comeback in the United States of America. A total of 295 cases were diagnosed in 2024 and so far, there are 164 cases this year, and one death. Before the measles vaccine was introduced in 1993, an estimated three to four million were infected, 48,000...