OF SUBSTANCE AND SPIRITWe have been participating almost every year in the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) Asian Regional Forum on Investment Management of Foreign Exchange Reserves, before and after my retirement from central banking in 2019. While there was some lull during the pandemic in 2020,...
OF SUBSTANCE AND SPIRIT It was the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences that announced the winners of the Nobel Prize for Economics at a press conference in Stockholm last week. They were Daron Acemoglu of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Simon Johnson also of MIT, and James...
OF SUBSTANCE AND SPIRIT The photos of those who trooped to the Manila Hotel and other Comelec offices to file their certificates of candidacy (COCs) gave us the impression that they have all figured out what they seriously intend to do in the next few years once they get...
OF SUBSTANCE AND SPIRITDisrespecting the law is no less than an act of insolence, and in the “Law Insider” formulation, that is arrogant, presumptuous, impudent, or in fact even insulting. It could even be at once rude because it is no less than the Philippine law that is being...
OF SUBSTANCE AND SPIRIT(Concluding Part) Last week, we concluded our piece with the quote from Finance Secretary Ralph Recto that the full remittance and appropriate use of PhilHealth’s ₱89.9 billion could boost GDP by 0.88 ppts and employment by 600,000. It is not as simple as deciding...
OF SUBSTANCE AND SPIRIT(Part 1)Clear from the genealogy of PhilHealth is its continuing mandate to provide comprehensive and equitable health care. Policy-wise, there should be no more question that aside from quality education, effective public health is a good “strategy for bringing about faster...
OF SUBSTANCE AND SPIRIT(Part II)As we suggested in our last column, it is no secret that the Philippines’ official sports program is not perfect. The first known government sports organization was the Philippine Amateur Athletic Federation (PAAF) in 1911, which was formed only to resolve what...
OF SUBSTANCE AND SPIRIT(Part 1)Tik Toks have institutionalized the Carlos Yulo landings in his floor routine for which he was awarded a perfect 15. We see people ending whatever they are doing with Yulo’s trademark open arms, or a series of tumbling into their shoes. With a 3.5 twist, Yulo...
OF SUBSTANCE AND SPIRITTo be sure, and we heard them from NewsWatch Plus, there were many “sanas” during the 3rd SONA (State of the Nation Address) of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Sana bumaba ang presyo ng bilihin. Sana dumami ang trabaho. Sana ipagtanggol ang West Philippine Sea. Sana...
OF SUBSTANCE AND FORESTCertainly it was exhilarating news last Sunday, that decision of Fitch Ratings to affirm the Philippines’ investment grade rating at BBB, a notch above the minimum investment grade. Equally significant is the stable outlook that Fitch maintained for the country.Such a rating...
OF SUBSTANCE AND SPIRITIt was the American political scientist Hans Morgenthau who proposed that the word “equilibrium” is equivalent to “balance.” Nothing is more important than ensuring the stability of the whole while preserving the independence of its components. In its global...
OF SUBSTANCE AND SPIRITSome TikToks say it all. To afford a rare McLaren 620R, worth at least $280,000 or more than ₱16 million, one should get used to living in a farm and running a piggery business. Prepare to live a simple life, grow with your father’s workers and yes, do homeschooling. After...
