FROM THE MARGINS There is much optimism after news of the economy’s robust growth in the last quarter of 2022 came out. The challenge now is sustaining this and ensuring that growth trickles down to the poor. After all, just a few weeks ago, the SWS reported that 51 percent of Filipino families...
FROM THE MARGINS January is National Microinsurance Month. Microinsurance is crucial to financial inclusion and has immense social and economic benefits because it provides poor people with safety nets to help them cope with unexpected shocks. Its growth was facilitated by the Insurance Commission...
FROM THE MARGINS I have a deeper appreciation of agricultural microfinance after my recent visit to Bacolod, where I met with sugar farm workers and beneficiaries of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP). I also had the opportunity to commune with officers of the Negros Women for...
FROM THE MARGINS My visit to Bacolod last week brought back memories of my days with the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP). I worked with the corporate-led social development foundation from 1978 to 1987, initially tasked to manage a demonstration farm in Laguna to show that a farmer...
FROM THE MARGINS New Year’s Day is the most celebrated holiday. But it is also a day of introspection. On this day, people remember the achievements and challenges of the outgoing year, and look forward to new beginnings promised by the new year. As 2022 closes, I also found myself reflecting on...
FROM THE MARGINS Today, we return to work after all the Christmas shopping, gift-giving, parties and get-togethers. I am sure some are still feeling holiday hang-overs, while others are wishing that Christmas would last for just a little bit longer. But is Christmas over now that all the...
FROM THE MARGINS Some good news! Our employment and unemployment rates have returned to pre-pandemic levels based on recent PSA data. The country’s employment rate reached 95.5 percent in October with 47.11 million employed Filipinos, a significant jump from the 43.82 million employed in October...
FROM THE MARGINS In my previous article, I lamented the declining contribution of agriculture to the country’s gross domestic product. As we are an agricultural country that is rich in natural resources, we should aim to grow our agricultural sector to a level that surpasses services and industry...
FROM THE MARGINS The future is Agriculture 4.0. Slowly but surely, the breakthroughs in technology that have transformed other industries is changing agriculture. Connectivity, mobile adoption, artificial intelligence, and other emerging technologies are transforming the whole agricultural value...
FROM THE MARGINS The President has appointed a new tax chief. Atty. Romeo Lumagui, Jr., tax lawyer and former Deputy Commissioner for Operations, recently took his oath, assuming leadership of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) amidst many challenges. With global inflation and an economy bearing...
FROM THE MARGINS JAIME ARISTOTLE B. ALIP, PHD According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, our economy expanded 7.6 percent in the third quarter of 2022, compared to last year. The agriculture, forestry, and fishing sector also rose by 2.2 percent, a turnaround from a -1.7 percent decline in...
FROM THE MARGINS Last week, House Speaker Martin Romuldez vowed to pass by December the administration’s priority bills, including the Passive Income and Financial Intermediary Taxation Act (PIFITA), the last tranche of the government’s Comprehensive Tax Reform Program. The PIFITA is laudable...
