NIGHT OWL Last June 30 marked the first year in office of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. after being voted by more than 31 million Filipinos. There was no honeymoon phase for the President as he had to immediately roll up his sleeves and get down to work. He had to ensure strong recovery from...
NIGHT OWL Switzerland is already one of the most digitally advanced countries in the world. In the 2022 IMD World Digital Competitiveness Ranking, the country placed fifth among 63 global economies. The country’s aim is not only to be among the best, but to be a leading digital nation. Under the...
NIGHT OWL My interest in Singapore started after I read a Bloomberg article pointing to the country as “The World’s Most Competitive Economy” a few years back. Today, the country also ranks high in digital competitiveness. In the 2022 edition of the IMD World Digital Competitiveness Ranking...
NIGHT OWL On June 19, we observed Filipino Youth Day, coinciding with the birth anniversary of our national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, who was convinced that the youth is the hope of our nation. In his message, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. challenged the Filipino youth to serve the community and be...
NIGHT OWL Last month, I was invited by the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) International Women Committee (IWC) to kick-off their Keynote Speaker Series for this year. The IWC is an informal committee at the ADB that promotes internal dialogue within the ADB community and supports ADB’s...
NIGHT OWL Infrastructure development is crucial in the growth strategy of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s administration. Among the infrastructure projects that are being prioritized are those that would improve physical and digital connectivity, water resources, health, energy, and...
NIGHT OWL Last June 2, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), led by Secretary Ivan John E. Uy, launched the eGov PH Super App to kick-off the National ICT Month. In his speech, the President reiterated the direction he wants for...
NIGHT OWL Sovereign wealth funds (SWF) are state-owned funds or entities that invest in real and financial assets to benefit current and future generations. Several nations have already set up their own SWFs, like Norway, Japan, China, Singapore, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. In the...
NIGHT OWL The proposed Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF), which was already approved by both houses of Congress, is set to be the country’s first-ever sovereign investment fund that is expected to generate income for the government and help promote economic development. The fund will help boost the...
NIGHT OWL The 6th President of the United States, John Quincy Adams, said: “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” There are leaders who emerge in times of despair, stepping up to motivate action. And there are those who take...
NIGHT OWL Micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are often referred to as the lifeblood of the economy as they comprise 99 percent of business enterprises operating in the Philippines and employ 63 percent of the country’s workforce. MSMEs were greatly affected by the pandemic, with 81...
NIGHT OWL We all have those moments when we are faced with difficult choices. And one of the toughest, if not the hardest, is choosing between life and death — choosing who will live and who will die. One such story I encountered a few weeks after Typhoon Yolanda ravaged communities in the...
