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...
2023 was the hottest year on record. The report from the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) placed into hard facts and figures what the world had already been witnessing. Again, we are reminded of what we are facing with climate change. “Climate change intensified heatwaves, droughts and...
Indonesia has long been the Philippines’ steadfast ally and neighbor. The two countries were co-founders – along with Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand – of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 1965 that was preceded in 1963 by the formation of Maphilindo, a tripartite...
Early last month, the announcement of the decline of the Philippines’ ranking in the 2022 Program for International Students Assessment (PISA) elicited spirited discussion. From 340 in 2018, the country's 15-year-old learners scored 347 in 2022 for Reading Literacy. For Mathematical Literacy, the...
After a three-year pause brought on by the pandemic, the Black Nazarene procession will take place anew today. Traslacion, or movement, marks the transfer of the image of the Nazarene from the church in Intramuros to Quiapo Church on January 9, 1787. It also commemorates Christ’s torturous walk...
Paying amilyar, or real property tax, that is due on the first day of January each year, is a task performed by Filipino homeowners as a matter of civic duty. Amilyar is imposed on property owners by the local government unit (LGU) where such property is located. It is a colloquial Filipino term...
Today, the first Sunday after January 1, is celebrated as the Feast of the Three Kings. In the church calendar, it is also known as the Feast of the Epiphany, which reference materials say is “celebrated on January 6 each year, though it’s often observed on “Epiphany Sunday” – the Sunday...
