Violence against children takes many forms – physical, emotional, and sexual – and in many settings like the child’s own home, community, school, and online. In the Philippines, even before the pandemic, children experienced high prevalence of violence whether at home, in school, workplace,...
As Metro Manilans and residents in the NCR-plus bubble settled into another fortnight of general community quarantine (GCQ), they as well as those in the rest of Luzon from the Ilocos region to Bicolandia were greeted by rotational brownouts that are expected everyday during the first week of...
A full month of General Community Quarantine (GCQ) would be completed by June 15 in the National Capital Region-plus bubble area following President Duterte’s announcement on June 1. Recall that Metro Manila and the provinces of Bulacan, Rizal, Laguna and Cavite were placed on Enhanced Community...
Government regulators have been putting in place frameworks to encourage key sectors of the economy such as publicly listed companies, banks and financial institutions to contribute to the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As a member of the United Nations, the Philippines has...
As prime movers of a country’s economy, financial institutions thrive on public trust and confidence. Individuals and organizations entrust the safekeeping of their money to banks that also provide loans to support the growth and viability of business enterprises. At all times with or...
With less than two months before the scheduled opening of the summer Olympics in Tokyo on July 21, Asahi Shimbun, one of the media sponsors, has published an editorial entitled, “Prime Minister Suga, please call off the Olympics.” Three reasons were cited for the call to cancel the Olympics. ...
With less than a year before the next national elections are held on May 9, 2022, what is the state of the Commission on Elections’ preparedness? There are just four months left before the end of the voter registration period on September 30. The Comelec is finalizing arrangements with mall...
Thanks to digital transformation, social communication has enabled and facilitated meaningful engagement between the governors and the governed. This was demonstrated earlier this week in the interaction between the Chairman of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and college students. In a...
From the standpoint of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), the current COVID-19 pandemic is a “most opportune teachable moment.” Despite disrupting the rhythm and tempo of Filipinos’ daily lives, the acceleration of digital transformation has also fast-tracked their ability to comprehend...
The national government has set into motion the ramping up of the devolution of key functions to local government units (LGUs) starting in 2022. The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) estimates an increase in the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) of LGUs, from P695.49 billion in 2021 to...
The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the pace of digital transformation worldwide. In the Philippines, the protracted lockdown has brought about a shift to digital and online payments. Artificial intelligence (AI) has become the catalyst for the increased tempo of what is now widely known as the...
The recent signing by the government of renegotiated concession supply agreements with Manila Water Company and Maynilad Water Services Inc. in April and May, respectively, represent significant strides toward the attainment of water adequacy in their franchise areas in Metro Manila, Rizal and...
