Starting this week, this column will produce a series of Market-Oriented Reforms for Efficiency (MORE) articles related to recently enacted laws and proposed legislations in the Philippines on various sectors. Thus, recent Republic Acts (RA) and some pending bills for bicameral committee meetings after the May 2019 elections will be discussed.

As fact-resistant as some Filipinos are, there is at least one issue about which they have been consistent. In one survey after another, 75 to 80% of them have repeatedly opposed amending the 1987 “People Power” Constitution. Many are unfamiliar with that document. But others are against amending it because they believe proponents for its change will use it to keep themselves in power.

On Labor Day, May 1, President Duterte finally released Executive Order 51 stopping illegal contractualization, as he warned firms involved in the practice that...

What is green spirituality?

WHEN government and society come together to address a national problem, the “whole-of-nation” principle is at work. It epitomizes national unity, solidarity, and teamwork. This is what Rotary Club of Manila’s (RCM) “One Rotary, One Philippines, One for Marawi” attempts to do — harnessing private sector companies and civic groups to partner with government agencies to address humanitarian assistance needs of people impacted by armed conflict and natural disasters.

FINANCIAL ANALYSTS routinely evaluate current corporate performance by comparing it with that of the previous period. Thus a listed stock that briefs investors and analysts on net income need to state how it compares year on year, whether flat, down, or up and by how much. It is not enough to make billions of pesos in net income for the quarter, the number has to be set against the quarter or year before. It is even compared to the anticipated number. All these comparisons can make even awesome numbers disappointing when paired against last year.

With the alarming increase of mental health illnesses today, with more than 300 million people suffering from depression alone according to the World Health Organization, the enactment of Republic Act No. 11032 or the Mental Health Act last 20 June 2018 is a boon to Filipinos. It is an affirmation of the basic right of all Filipinos to mental health as well as the fundamental rights of people who require mental health services.

WHEN we think about the economic damage of climate change, most of us probably think about the physical destruction wrought by mammoth disasters like...

WAITING at the doctor’s office, say when he’s running late on his clinic hours due to a meeting or an emergency operation or you just happen to be the fourth person on the queue even if you were on time but others happened to be there already ahead of you (first come first served, Sir), makes you realize why in this encounter where supply and demand meet, the consumer is referred to as a patient and not customer. The marketing mantra, “the customer is king” which translates into “please attend to this buyer right away” does not apply here.

Thinking Beyond Politics By Renato Cruz De Castro In July 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague announced its long-awaited ruling on the...

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported that the December 2022 inflation rate was 8.1%. It is the peak rate for 2022 and also the...

“An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.”