The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) is hitting the ground running. In the first four months of 2023, it surpassed its collection target by ₱14.319 billion. In particular, BIR Commissioner Romeo D. Lumagui Jr. cited the agency’s ₱336.02-billion collection in April, surpassing its goal for the...
Government spending is vital to national growth. It is one of the four components of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The other three are consumer spending, business investment, and net exports. In the past two years, Statista reports that the ratio of government expenditure to GDP in the past three...
Digital times call for digital solutions. As technology moves at a rate faster than we can say the word “technology,” solutions must also be fast, lest we be left at the wayside by our neighbors; it must also be inclusive, so no sector of our society would be left behind. If there’s any...
The House of Representatives took a step closer to updating the archaic Warehouse Receipts Law, also known as Act No. 2137, that was enacted by the Philippine Legislature “by authority of the United States” in 1912 or 111 years ago. It approved last week on third and final reading House Bill...
The proposed Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF) Act has just been approved by both chambers of Congress and a copy of the enrolled bill will now be sent to Malacañan Palace for President Marcos’ signature. Being a Palace-certified measure, it is expected to be signed into law in a couple of weeks...
In 2018, Congress passed Republic Act No. 11032, An Act Promoting the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Delivery of Government Services. The law amended Republic Act No. 9485, otherwise known as the Anti Red-Tape Act of 2007. The enactment of these laws demonstrates the government’s...
“Terribly important” — these were the words of the President when he described the urgency of having a national land use policy. This he emphasized in a speech at the inauguration of Pier 88 in Liloan, Cebu, on May 27, 2023. "Allow me to reiterate the urgency of enacting a national land use...
Today, May 28, marks the beginning of a significant commemoration known as National Flag Day — a day that holds profound meaning in our national identity and collective consciousness as a nation. It is a day when we reflect the historical importance of our flag and the values it represents. On...
E-governance first made its presence felt in key national government offices that serve a broad sector of Philippine society — the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, Government Service Insurance System, Bureau of Internal Revenue, Bureau of Customs, Social Security System, Land Transportation Office,...
A bill mandating new Filipino doctors to work in the country for one year before they are allowed to seek employment abroad has been filed before the House of Representatives. House Bill No. 6232, the Mandatory Medical Service Bill, was recently filed in a bid to address the shortage of medical...
“If this technology goes wrong, it can go quite wrong.” With this declaration, Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, urged the US Congress last week to enact a law that would regulate the use of artificial intelligence (AI) following serious concerns raised on the dangers it posed. California-based AI...
It doesn’t take a scientist to know that we are living in challenging times brought forth by the change in our climate patterns and depleting finite resources. This is the reason why the terms “sustainability,” “renewables,” “circular economy” have gained prominence not only among...
