Metrobank has long been a financial institution that champions learning, and this time, it’s teaching Filipinos the art of starting early. In a recent event, the bank invited media guests to the art of furoshiki—the Japanese tradition of gift-wrapping—where every fold, every knot, and every...
Despite the vulnerability of Filipino households to socioeconomic shocks and natural disasters, their access to financial services remains a laggard compared to the Philippines’ regional and income-level peers, the 2025 Global Findex Database of the World Bank showed. According to the World...
Senator Grace Poe believes that the tech-savvy Filipino youth are in the "best position" to drive digital inclusion in the country. Poe made the remark during a forum dubbed "Tech for Good 2023" at the Asian Institute of Management. There, she mentioned that the government can make good use of the...
Astra Tech (Astra), MENA’s leading consumer technology holding group based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), signed Tuesday, July 18, a share purchase agreement (SPA) to acquire a 90 percent stake in Y Finance, a licensed financing company operating in the Philippines, as it commits to develop...
The Department of Education (DepEd) and its partners reaffirmed their commitment to achieving inclusion and respect for language diversity in basic education programs. (Photo courtesy of DepEd) “We have made significant strides to strengthen our inclusion programs, and we vow to continue these...
To promote a better understanding of the role of language in promoting inclusion and literacy, the Department of Education (DepEd) will hold a language and inclusion summit next week. (DepEd file photo) “The Language and Inclusion Summit envisions the true realization of inclusion in education by...
FROM THE MARGINS March is Women’s Month. Since 1988, the Philippines has dedicated March to celebrating women’s achievements and raising awareness about domestic violence, discrimination, and other issues facing Filipino women. March 8 is also International Women’s Day. The Philippines holds...
NIGHT OWL Anna Mae Lamentillo When my sister and I were much younger, mom would remind us we could be anything we wanted to be. There was nothing that was beyond our reach. I remember, during our toddler days, we were made to wear a petticoat (almost) every day (even for Jolly spaghetti). My mom...
Finance Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno welcomed the decision of the Supreme Court affirming the constitutionality of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Act amid petitions claiming the law to be “anti-poor” and unlawful. The Supreme Court dismissed the petitioners’...
TECH4GOOD Monchito Ibrahim The rapid digitalization of everything we do today is fast changing the country's financial inclusion landscape. Although the share of the unbanked population in the country is still one of the highest in the Asia Pacific region according to Statista research, the...
Individual taxpayers will get income tax breaks next year, providing Filipino consumers additional purchasing power, but would result in billions of foregone government revenues. This is because the second tranche reduction in personal income tax as mandated under the Tax Reform for Acceleration...
#MINDANAO John Tria In last week’s column I enjoined you all to review 2022 as we take a look ahead to 2023. Indeed the lessons we have learned from post pandemic recovery practices to the responses to the challenges posed by geopolitical realities such as the Ukraine conflict and climate related...
