Eighty-five percent of all public utility vehicles (PUV) are expected to be consolidated as cooperatives or corporations under the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP) by April 30, 2024. That is an expectation of government after President Marcos granted a three-month extension of...
There are no plans to impose new taxes this year. Finance Secretary Ralph Recto stressed this in a briefing on Jan. 24, 2024, as he cited inflationary pressures. “When you impose taxes, that is also inflationary. So, I don’t think now is the time to impose [new taxes],” the new Finance chief...
Cyber crimes continue to pose a big problem around the world. As technology becomes more sophisticated, so is cyber threat. In fact, multinational cybersecurity and anti-virus provider Kaspersky projects that sophisticated cyber threats will rise in 2024. This is another problem the Philippines has...
Significant gaps in healthcare, infrastructure, education, and agriculture need to be addressed for the Philippines to attain upper middle-income status within the current administration’s term – and move ahead toward attaining the national vision of $11,000 income per capita. This was declared...
At a Cabinet meeting last week, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel, Jr. announced a comprehensive plan “to increase agricultural productivity, lower food cost, ensure food security, and make farming and fisheries a more bankable investment alternative.” The eight-point plan...
The Pasig River is being prepared to join the ranks of famous rivers in the world which can draw in locals and tourists for river cruises, dinners at riverside restaurants, sports events, or for a morning walk. On Jan. 17, a spray of fireworks lighted the sky over the riverbank behind the Manila...
Growth, must be inclusive to be sustainable. One way of sustaining inclusive economic growth is to support micro-small-and-medium-enterprises (MSMEs), which comprise 99.5 percent of business enterprises and employ more than 60 percent of our workforce. The many success stories of MSMEs, especially...
The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) started implementing the collection of the five-percent increase in premium contributions from its members effective this month. The Universal Health Care (UHC) Act of 2019 calls for a three-percent increase in PhilHealth premium contribution...
The country now has 131 specialty healthcare centers around the country. And more are coming. President Marcos has announced that the government has allocated ₱11.12 billion to build more specialty healthcare centers in various parts of the country this year. This underscores the Marcos...
On the day he was sworn in by President Marcos, Finance Secretary Ralph Recto set his sights immediately on being able to collect ₱20 billion in daily revenues to meet the government’s spending needs this year. His ability to get down to brass tacks reflects the depth of his experience as a...
Starting today, Jan. 15, the 2024 World Economic Forum (WEF) will convene in Davos, Switzerland, with the theme of “Rebuilding Trust,” bringing together more than 2,800 delegates from 120 countries. The WEF is an international non-governmental organization for public-private sector...
“Every vote counts” is a slogan that comes around whenever elections are held. It’s repeated by candidates, supporters, and leaders of church and civic groups to encourage every voter to make time to go out and vote. Yes, every vote counts to support our democracy. The...
