BORACAY ISLAND—John Neil Gregorio, 22, had just completed a four-year computer science course when an uncle prodded him to take on the job of a service crew member in an Indian restaurant in Boracay last August. Despite the meager starting daily wage of P300, with free meals and board, he bit the bullet, seeing a...
Category: Business
Post
‘What could have been, what can be done’
If given a three-minute audience with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., said former health secretary Jaime Galvez Tan, he will make a strong case for the development of the young population to make the Philippines at par with the fast-growing economies in Southeast Asia. This will be his recommendation to the President: Synergize education, health, agriculture,...
Post
Power grid operator NGCP billed consumers P2.6B worth of CSR, PR expenses
As the sole public utility in charge of power transmission lines, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) is mandated to ensure the reliability of the country’s electricity supply. So when a government representative found that it had included corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities in its operating expenses, she sought an explanation. “Are CSR...
Post
The dimensions of inequality in the Philippines, by the numbers
Throughout Asia, the Philippines conspicuously stands out when it comes to social and economic inequalities. The latest World Bank calculations place the Philippines at the highest level of inequality in the region (see Table 1). In a grouping of 27 Asian countries monitored by the World Bank, the Philippines ranks No. 1 in inequality with...
Post
The PICC at 47: An enduring witness to history
For close to five decades, the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) has been a witness to history, as well as to the personal stories of the generations of Filipinos, local and foreign dignitaries, and guests that have walked through its halls and venues. Listening to individuals that have witnessed the PICC’s evolution, one comes to...
Post
Estate tax may now be paid in installments and online
Instead of a one-time payment that many find difficult to comply with, heirs may now pay in installments the estate tax due the property they inherited from relatives. They may also stagger the payments over a two-year period. Heirs even have the option to settle the amount online with an accredited bank of the Bureau...
Post
Gov’t can ill afford Palace’s ‘populist’ policies on rice, says ex-finance official
The Marcos administration’s imposition of a price cap on rice and new prices for palay as well as its subsidy for rice retailers could be “costly” to the government, according to resigned finance undersecretary Cielo Magno. The government can ill afford the costs arising from the three policy packages because these are not part of...
Post
Tarlac rice farmers, retailers suffering losses due to price cap
Rice farmers and retailers are incurring heavy losses from the price cap imposed starting on Sept. 5 on regular-milled and well-milled rice even as it brings temporary relief to consumers. Executive Order No. 39 (EO 39) set the price of regular-milled and well-milled rice at P41 and P45 a kilo, respectively, amid soaring prices of...
Post
Transport groups ‘will continue to make noise’ vs modernization plan
Two transport strikes have been called this year in protest against the government’s so-called public utility vehicle modernization program (PUVMP), which is aimed at replacing aging jeepneys with environment-friendly but much more expensive minibuses. Following two days of a planned weeklong strike in March, leaders of transport groups Manibela and Piston were called to a...
Post
Death by drowning in Laguna de Bay
Friday on ANC, the skipper of the Aya Express, Donald Anain, recounts what happened in the waters of Laguna de Bay off Binangonan, Rizal, on July 27. Snippets of the tragedy were reported by some survivors a day earlier, more or less jibing with Anain’s account of how, buffeted by strong winds, the motorized banca...