Humble repast A homeless family eats lunch in Quezon City in this photo taken Tuesday. About half of Filipino families consider themselves poor despite robust economic growth, a survey by the Social Weather Stations showed. -- AFP
Goodwill cleanup US sailors (in blue coveralls) from the visiting aircraft carrier USS George Washington join their Filipino counterparts in cleaning a heavily polluted Manila waterway in this photo taken Monday. -- AFP
Mercury free These digital thermometers are to be donated to a public hospital as the deadline nears for the mercury phase-out in the Philippine health care facilities and institutions as mandated by the Health Department. -- Jonathan L. Cellona
Grand plans A man examines a map unveiled Friday detailing the aggressive expansion plan for Gokongwei’ Go Hotels. The budget hotel chain has opened its doors to franchising to facilitate the opening of 30 new branches. -- Jonathan L. Cellona
Plastic shelter A homeless street child stands in the entrance of his family’s improvised tent, pitched on a flower bed in the middle of a Manila road, in this photo taken Thursday. -- AFP
INFRASTRUCTURE projects tagged for private sector participation will be offered to American investors when President Benigno C. Aquino III visits the United States later this month, a senior trade official yesterday said.
Google’s acquisition of SocialDeck at the end of August made it the 11th social media related company Google has snapped up so far this year -- five of them in August alone.
BusinessWorld Online - The online version of the Philippines' leading business newspaper features virtually all the stories and statistical data available in the print edition.
THE COUNTRY’S main revenue agencies expect to miss their collection targets for the year, a development likely to prod the government into further belt-tightening in the effort to stay within this year’s P325-billion deficit ceiling.
BENIGNO Simeon ‘Noynoy’ C. Aquino III became the Philippines’ 15th president on June 30, 2010 or exactly 70 days ago, triggering a contagion of hopefulness among Filipinos. He wooed and won votes with a slogan that was simple, yet catchy: "Kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap." Without corruption, there’d be no poverty.
The President presented a vision of a future where we as nation are not held hostage of corruption. Straightforward message by even mentioning the two most corrupt agency of government, namely: Bureau of Customs and Bureau of Internal Revenue. Will I stand with the President? Yes by all means.
WRITE BACK
Alex Ledesma on President Noy Aquino
I don’t want to prejudge the new president based on his track record. But all I knew is that he was elected because of the legacy of his parents. Unless his parents are the Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore or Mahathir Mohammad of Malaysia...I have no doubt to completely believe the capability of the new president.
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Juan Kamalig on Immigration official
Enough is enough [Immigration commissioner]Nonoy Libanan. Accept reality. Step down from your lofty pedestal of insatiable greed. Your temporary tenure as immigration commissioner must end. Wrest your uneasy mind and fidgety fanny. No more gimmicks. No more propaganda. No more tricks. No more surprises. And please, no more coups.
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Joseph I. B. Gonzales on election automation
Having worked in the U.S. software industry for a number of years, I am only too aware of the many undercover tricks you can play on the information technology system at any point in the human-computer interface. The absence of adequate transparency and accountability in the conduct of the electronic leg of the electoral process, to individual voters and to the public at large, bespeaks significant flaws in the process and represents a major threat to our democracy.
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Atty. Manuel J. Laserna Jr. on Chief Justice appointment
My worst nightmare as a member of the Bar, as a former law professor and as a local Bar leader has come! Pres. Gloria Arroyo, a nonlawyer whose brain is programmed to do nothing else but to accumulate and perpetuate power and to insure her family dynasty's political survival, has appointed her former senate chief of staff and Supreme Court Associate Justice Renato Corona as the new Chief Justice of the Philippines in replacement of Chief Justice Reynato Puno.The dreaded Arroyo Court is now finally and fully born and delivered!
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Atty. Mike Yusingco on Chief Justice appointment
Lawyers, particularly litigators, follow the principle, when in doubt -- err on the side of caution. The appointment of SC Chief Justice is seriously questionable because of its obvious impropriety. Thus, it is extremely confounding why Renato Corona would accept it? Is delikadeza really dead?
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Conrado Sanchez, Jr. on Double victory at the polls
It appears that there was over 70% voters' turnout . That accounts for the long lines we had at the polling booths. There was a much higher turnout during the Philippine election than those who showed up for the U.K. elections last Thursday. [And] despite a lot of misgivings and early mistakes, we also celebrate the triumph of poll automation.
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Ann on Noynoy's victory
I did vote for Gibo (Teodoro) and I was disappointed about the ranking. I would rather accept the victory of Noynoy than to let my countrymen suffer again in the hands of Erap (Estrada).
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Stephanie on holiday economics
“There is really not much of a point with this holiday of economics. When the holiday has fallen on a Saturday, why move it to Monday? Yes, it will boost the tourism but it will greatly hurt the BPO industry, which is one of the biggest employing industry in the country. There is no sense in giving longer weekends and make the BPO sector suffer so much. We end up paying holiday pays.”
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Atty. Mike Yusingco on political dynasty
“In this year’s election, there is an alarming increase in the number of “relatives” running for public office. We have brothers and sisters, mothers and sons, fathers and sons, cousins, and so on. If one wants to see political dynasty, just go to the province of Aurora. The burning challenge for the new Congress is to pass the Anti Dynasty law.”
on Aquino inaugural speech