The Philippines is touted by international organizations such as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, not to mention private think tanks and banks, as one of the fastest-growing economies in the Indo-Pacific region, together with India and Vietnam. The harsh reality, however, as President...
As a professional educator teaching then at the Center for Research and Communication, I was asked in 1976 by a group of parents to help them implement the dictum of St. Josemaria Escriva, Founder of Opus Dei (who had passed away just a year before in Rome), “Parents first, teachers, second and...
As an award-winning K-12 educator and international teacher trainer for education for sustainable development, Ilan Enverga commented in an article that appeared in a leading Philippine daily that there is only one Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) that has the unique power that can enable any...
There is no question that the outside world no longer considers the Philippines as the “sick man of Asia.” Articles after articles citing the World Bank, IMF, ADB, Bloomberg, Hong Kong, and Shanghai Bank, and a host of multinational banks from Europe and Asia have been citing the Philippines as...
The second assertion of the UP Paper reflects how academicians can sometimes be living in an ivory tower. It posits that removing foreign equity restrictions is the least significant variable in increasing foreign investment. Hence, it’s nice, but there is no need for it. Just ask the Japanese,...
Despite the very obvious dire need of the Philippines for Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) in the light of the very scarce long-term capital available domestically because of our very low domestic savings rate and our high debt-to-GDP ratio, we still hear voices that echo President Quezon’s...
To address the criticism that, as can be gleaned from the final version of the Maharlika Investment Corporation Law, the goals stated are confused, amorphous and too all-encompassing, I have suggested that through the widespread practice of strategic planning among especially large corporations,...
Part 4 In working for the common good of Philippine society, there is much room for volunteer work in social enterprises and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as those that will be advocated by the Angat Buhay movement that outgoing VP Leni Robredo will be inaugurating on July 1, 2022. I...
Actually, the planned Clark City agro-industrial business corridor will not be the first of its kind. Already, there is a thriving agro-industrial estate in the island of Mindanao, the ANFLO Industrial Estate (AIE) strategically located in a 63-hectare property between Davao City and Tagum...
CHANGING WORLD (Part II) Dr. Bernardo M. Villegas Let me stress that I am in favor of opening up these strategic sectors to more foreign equity not because I believe in untrammelled free market economics. Unrestrained free markets do not serve the common good. There should always be a strong...
CHANGING WORLD Dr. Bernardo M. Villegas (Part 1) As one of the members of the Constitutional Commission that drafted the 1987 Constitution, I am lending my voice to the clamor of some sectors led by House Speaker Lord Allan Q. Velasco to amend the restrictive economic provisions of this fundamental...
CHANGING WORLD Dr. Bernardo M. Villegas (Part 3) How do we combat the evils of consumerism? The major faiths, whether Islam, Christianity, or Hinduism, have a common response: know how to tame or discipline your body, your excessive desire for material comfort. There is no alternative to...
