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...
CHANGING WORLD Dr. Bernardo M. Villegas (Part 1) The unbridled search for profit by capitalists has been condemned by social reformers as a major cause of the prevalence of injustices in today’s modern societies. There is an increasing plea in many societies today, whether developed or...
Two prominent economists agree that current moves to liberalize the restrictive economic provisions of the Philippine Constitution should be supported and that the amendments being introduced should be approved sooner rather than later. Congress is currently conducting preliminary hearings on...
CHANGING WORLD Dr. Bernardo M. Villegas We are now in the Year of St. Joseph, as proclaimed by Pope Francis last December 8, 2020. This celebration of the 150th anniversary of the declaration of St. Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church will last till December 8, 2021. There is a beautiful...
CHANGING WORLD Dr. Bernardo M. Villegas (Part 2) As already mentioned, those who took up the challenge of marriage during the pandemic showed both human courage and supernatural vision. With widespread unemployment and industries collapsing, starting a family will definitely not be a walk in the...
CHANGING WORLD Dr. Bernardo M. Villegas (Part 1) I have only the greatest admiration for couples who, despite all the logistic and other technical difficulties, were determined to get married during the pandemic. Whenever I was one of the few invited to be present at a wedding physically, I...
CHANGING WORLD (Part 4) Dr. Bernardo M. Villegas As mentioned above, Filipino consumers make up the strongest engine of growth of Philippine GDP since consumption expenditures account for more than 70 percent of GDP. How will consumption patterns change as a result of the pandemic? We may develop...
CHANGING WORLD Dr. Bernardo M. Villegas (Part 3) Blending learning, which usually involves the pupils or students participating in the educational process while staying at home, will also have a permanent impact on the way parents get more deeply involved in the education of their children. As...
CHANGING WORLD Dr. Bernardo M. Villegas (Part 2) We shall remember the pandemic as the period in which Vietnam surpassed the Philippines in GDP per capita. The IMF reported in October, 2020, that the GDP per capita of Vietnam was at $3,945 while that of the Philippines decreased to $3,373. ...
