THE Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) wants Filipino workers in Lebanon to stay indoors after tens of thousands of people took to the streets for a third day of protests against tax increases and alleged official corruption.

AQUILINO “Nene” Pimentel, Jr., father of the Local Government Code and a former Senate president and opposition leader who fought the dictatorship in the 1970s, has died. He was 85.

CONGRESS can file a joint resolution allowing a salary increase for government nurses after the Supreme Court upheld a higher salary grade under the law, a congressman said yesterday.

It was a joint membership meeting of the Makati Business Club (MBC), the Employers Confederation of the Philippines, the Judicial Reform Initiative, the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines, and the Management Association of the Philippines last Friday, Oct. 18, at the New World Hotel in Makati. The testimonial to Senior Associate Justice Antonio T. Carpio was not jubilation for yet another career trophy won, nor was it a sad goodbye, for he will be retiring after 18 years in the Judiciary and eight days as Acting Chief Justice.

Most affluent western societies consider themselves “open societies.” Open societies swear by the values of inclusion in diversity. They shun apartheid or unequal access to social benefits based on race, color, or religion. A central tenet is the celebration of the individual over the group and of the ruled over the ruler embodied in one-man-one-vote. Open borders celebrate the fundamental right of its citizens to opt out or opt in. In the roaring 21^st century, most opt in. The most envied of open societies because they are affluent and happiest by many measures, are the Scandinavian countries. Have they found the formula to render the baser human instincts recessive? Have they found the philosopher’s stone on the sustainable marriage of openness and affluence?

The recent resolution of the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET) requires the parties to the election protest of the loser, Bongbong Marcos, to comment on the PET’s recount of votes in the provinces of Camarines Sur, Iloilo, and Negros Oriental. The outcome of the recount in these provinces even increased the lead of Vice-President Robredo by an additional 14,285 votes. Thus, Vice-President Robredo’s over-all lead is now equivalent to 278,566 votes.

Cal-Comp Technology (Philippines), Inc. and Fruitas Holdings, Inc. have secured the approval of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for their initial public offering (IPO) next month.

THE COUNTRY’S balance of payments (BoP) sustained a surplus for the third straight month — though the smallest amount in that period — turning around from a year-ago deficit, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported on Friday.

A JOINT Senate panel has recommended graft charges against resigned Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Oscar D. Albayalde over his alleged involvement in the “monumental cover up” of a 2013 sale of drugs seized from a buy-bust operations by 13 cops.

THE LEAD of Vice-President Maria Leonor G. Robredo over former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos, Jr. in the May 2016 elections increased by about 15,000 votes after the initial recount of ballots from three provinces.

THE GOVERNMENTS of India and the Philippines on Friday signed four agreements that will strengthen ties in maritime security, tourism, science and technology, and cultural cooperation.

PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte told the business sector Thursday night that he is willing to leave Cabinet meetings to hear out any corruption issues that investors may bring up.