The constitutional right to due process has always been foundational for the Philippines. Yet an unfortunately resignedly accepted aspect thereof is the delay with which justice is dispatched. Surely, “justice delayed is justice denied” but other consequences -- particularly on the economy -- also prevail.

A surprise voyage back to the Nordic continent was truly refreshing and exciting. After the sweltering sultry tropical months, it was worth the long flight to a cooler, invigorating climate. The temperature levels ranged from 12⁰°C on cool clear nights to 26⁰°C with glorious sunny days.

The 17^th Congress resumes on July 23^rd with President Duterte opening it with his third State of the Nation Address (SONA). At this point, with 11 days to go until the event, his people should be busy putting the finishing touches on his speech. Unless, given the recently reported “drop” in his ratings, they have actually chosen to recast and recalibrate what he is scheduled to deliver.

Next week, the Energy Policy Development Program (EPDP), a USAID-funded project implemented by the UP Economics Foundation, will have its last lecture and the launch of a book that incorporates conferences, lectures, and seminars the program has sponsored over the last four years.

YOU MAY not have noticed, what with the outbreak of trade war with the US and all, but China’s economic diplomacy has had a bad few weeks. The country’s flagship Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is dealing with ever-greater resistance, slowing a momentum that once seemed unstoppable. In fact, I’d argue that the BRI is stalled.

We’ve been told often times that technology shortens working hours to give us more free time. Yet, more often than not, we feel we are not only working harder but also leaving work later to squeeze more into the day.

During US Secretary of Defense James Mattis’s three-day visit to China, President Xi Jinping bluntly told the visiting American defense official: “Our stance is steadfast and clear-cut when it comes to China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, we can’t lose even an inch of territory inherited from our ancestors, and China won`t take anything that belongs to others. Beijing has no colonial ambition but will never shy away from defending every each of its territory.”

An indication of our national character is how we behave in games of sports. The recent melee at the FIBA games, an international basketball federation competition which we were hosting is certainly a shame. We also have in our sports history at least one case where the Philippine team was disqualified because we passed off an overaged but undersized kid as a qualified member of our youth baseball team. These are cases of our being sore losers, or willingness to cheat just to win.

Only eighteen teams remain. The champions of The International 2018, the 8^th annual edition of the world’s most prestigious Dota tournament, stand to share more than P500 million among themselves and with their organization. Even the poorest-performing team will bring home more than P3 million. This is the opportunity that two Philippine-based teams and other Filipino players playing for teams based in other countries have qualified for.

Baguio City is one of the genuine tourism treasures of the Philippines. But for those of us who haven’t been to the City of Pines for years (especially those living overseas), the horror stories told about Baguio are enough to discourage any plans to make a trip.

The inflation rate reached 5.2% in June 2018 following 4.6% the month before. The June level is the highest in five years and breached the price target ceiling. Critics are lashing about to find fault. Demonizing TRAIN 1 is everywhere in the media and talks of rejiggering the act is afoot. Sadly, President Duterte revealed that he would leave the fate of his regime’s cornerstone economic program to a Congress that is facing midterm elections! That seems to leave his economic team in a lurch. Meanwhile, the detractors have extended the compass of their blame game to the BSP.

Business is an ever-changing landscape. It finds ways to create assets, improve what has been already done, and maximize utility at the least possible cost.