The issue of food security is in the headlines these days because of the attention the new administration is giving it and the fact that the new president, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., has positioned himself as head of the Department of Agriculture (DA). I have been living and working in the Philippines for 20 years, and...
Category: Business
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No contact apprehension: Can cameras end the traffic mess?
Have you ever opened your mail and found a notice of violation (NOV) jolting you with a fine of P2,000, or even P4,000? Your immediate reaction might well be “What the [expletive]!”—and understandably so. But then you’ll realize that the attached digital image of a vehicle shown, supposedly, running a red light or making an...
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What is wrong with technocrats?
President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s designation of known technocrats to manage the Philippine economy raises the issue of whether continuing to rely on this particular group of experts can actually do good for the Filipino people and the country. The rise of technocratic management of the world’s economies over the last 70 years has spawned studies...
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Building a history of good credit
A World Bank publication in 2017 showed that close to three-fourths of Filipinos borrowed cash from informal sources. Informal sources aren’t easy to police and often get away with charging exorbitant interest and intimidating borrowers when they can’t pay up. This may be why Filipinos get really uncomfortable when talking about borrowing money. I had...
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Missing the boat on population management and economic development
The Philippines has missed a number of opportunities toward long-term economic development. While it was in pretty good shape in the 1960s through the late 1970s—and certainly highly competitive with other developing countries in Asia—it began to falter at the turn of the decade. By the early 1980s it started to miss the boat in...
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Don’t save for retirement, build long-term wealth
By Jenn Simons As a hypersocial adult who’s been stuck at home on a reduced income with the possibility of a medical emergency looming, the last few months have felt like practice for retirement life. It really made me think about my retirement savings plan (or lack thereof). If I’m honest, the term “saving for...
