Newly minted senator and former police chief Bato de la Rosa must be smiling with glee at the President’s declaration that he will revoke the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with the USA if they do not issue a US visa to his good friend and fellow Davaeño Bato de la Rosa. OMG, a huge foreign policy switch on behalf of his friend who wants to make a personal, not official, visit to the USA.

President Rodrigo Duterte has threatened to terminate the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) between the Philippines and the United States of America unless the US reinstates the non-immigrant visa of Senator Roland “Bato” de la Rosa. De la Rosa had a 10-year visa that allowed him to visit the US for brief periods, presumably as a tourist. If he were to go to the US on official business as a member of the Philippine Senate, he would probably not need the tourist visa.

On Jan. 12 -- nearly half a century after its last eruption -- Taal Volcano had a phreatic eruption, causing ash to fall on numerous cities and necessitating the evacuation of families living near the volcano. With the sudden turn of events, immediate evacuation and disaster preparations were necessary for the affected areas, and schools and offices were constrained to suspend their operations to make way for the same.

IN THE CHILLY and rarefied air of Davos, recent days saw yet another surge in the temperature of the world’s debate on climate change. While Greta Thunberg led pleas to political leaders at the World Economic Forum for urgent action to avert climate catastrophe, Donald Trump used the same platform to denounce “prophets of doom.” The virtual confrontation between Trump and Thunberg came just weeks after a UN climate change summit in Madrid ended in a stalemate.

THE GOLDEN AGE of the spy thriller ended with the Cold War. But of late, news reports have provided enough material for a silver age to start -- if authors take heed.

The first month of 2020 has given us much to consider. The current climate of unrest in the Middle East, the sudden eruption of Taal Volcano, and the emergence of the coronavirus strain from Wuhan, China has no doubt given us more than a little cause for pause. It has also brought to the fore the different roles that the Philippine State plays in responding to the needs of Filipinos in times of crisis, whether natural or manmade.

The good news about the Philippines’ GDP growth of 5.9% in 2019 is that it is high by global and regional trends. The bad news is that growth is decelerating since 2016 and our GDP size remains small. With a low economic base, if we keep growing by just 5-6% yearly, it will take us many decades to be at par with the per capita incomes of our neighbors Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Thailand even if they grow only 2-3% yearly. (See Table 1).

A One Person Corporation (OPC) is not required to have a minimum capital stock, whether in terms of authorized, subscribed, or paid-up, except as otherwise provided by special law.

BEFORE THE start of a movie showing, the cinema announcements after the trailers provide a guide on the location of the fire exits. They also show the expected demeanor of patrons in case of a fire unhurriedly ascending the stairs, having time to turn their heads and smile at the camera. There is no sound of a fire alarm in the quiet procession to the exit -- how’s my hair?

In an official statement two weeks ago, the Department of Budget and Management declared that government had enough funds to respond to Taal Volcano’s eruption. Upon further inspection, I found that this is not the case.

About two weeks ago, President Rodrigo R. Duterte, in an interview with Ted Failon from ABS-CBN, said that he will sign an executive order imposing a limit on the prices of certain medicines. “That’s good for the Filipino, reduced prices or maintaining a price. I will even sign the document twice over,” the President said.

The University of the Philippines (UP), particularly Diliman, is abuzz. The process of selecting the next UP Diliman Chancellor has aroused the UP community, including the alumni.