The current tussle between the concessionaires and President Rodrigo R. Duterte (PRRD) stems from two arbitration awards by separate arbitration panels in favor of Maynilad Water (P7.4 Billion) and Manila Water (P3.4 Billion), in July 2017 and November 2018. The claimed amounts allegedly represent their accumulated losses after the Regulatory Office under the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) refused to grant their petitions to raise their tariffs from 2014 to 2018.

RESEARCHERS who study misinformation are confronting a new problem: public scorn. And it’s not just in the form of online trolling. These scientists are...

In this post-truth age, institutional autonomy is the most valuable attribute that universities vigorously defend. We see more and more cases around the world of how governments have directly and indirectly challenged academic freedom. From the dwindling support of politically sensitive research projects to the closing down of universities altogether, these threats make higher education’s responsibility to engage with and for society more difficult than ever.

“Marriage is the death penalty.” This is a statement that might be heard at a bachelor’s party. Perverted comic relief, of course, because here in the Philippines, marriage is “till death do us part” -- there is no divorce. But things will change; macho guys are in charge in government now, and the Divorce Law will probably be finally passed in this 18^th Congress. Ironically, the Death Penalty Bill will also probably be filed on the opening day of Congress.

Should public works projects run 24/7? Should work be round-the-clock particularly for public infrastructure projects? A few of our congressmen believe this should be...

ASIA has a new public emergency: breathing life into moribund economies.

OPTIMISTS seem to be defined as people who have a positive outlook on life. What drives their actions is the thought that things will...

The paradox of the country’s tax system is not lost among our government officials. After all, the main catalyst behind the tax reform program...

Corporate leadership entails business transparency, integrity, and accountability, which are manifested in SM’s publication of Integrated and Sustainability Reports, its conduct of forums and public briefings, and its accessible company website, among others.

Midterm elections are scheduled for May 12, 2025. Each voter will select 12 senators, a district representative, a party-list representative, and local officials in...

In a pandemic, the prevention of a wider spread of a virus and economic recovery are the essentials of the day. Among other things, budgeting during a pandemic needs to focus on three things: response measures, social protection, and economic stimulus.

We’re going into the 4th week of the Luzon-wide lockdown, or officially known as the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ), in a bid to “flatten the curve” by getting ahead of this lethal coronavirus which causes COVID-19 at the soonest possible time. As of Palm Sunday, the country had 3,246 confirmed cases, 64 recovered, 152 deaths. The ECQ or “Stay Home” strategy aims to deny the virus any chance of infecting us and infecting each other. That way, we ease the burdens of the health sector depleted by death and sidelined frontliners.