The series of data breaches at government agencies has resulted in the theft of millions of Filipinos’ personal information not only once but twice or even thrice, in gross violation of their right to privacy. Understandably, the theft is causing Filipinos to lose trust in the offices that keep their personal data even as the...
Category: Specials
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When food tourism in US colonial period spurred fight for Filipino cuisine
The adventurous palate of foodies and their #willtravelforfood motto are interesting phenomena. The trend mentioned in a recent lecture intrigued me and moved a university student in the audience to ask Dr. Kristine Michelle L. Santos if Filipinos of yesteryear inherited their fondness for food from the Americans during the colonial era. Santos, an assistant...
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Zonal values of residential land surging
Zonal values of residential land are rising by up to about 330% in Parañaque City effective Monday, Oct. 2, catching residents and property owners by surprise. The surge is triggering concerns that the high cost of real property in the city will hamper sales and further make homes unaffordable to most people, especially the Gen...
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Norma Rae, Sister Stella L, and newspaper union organizing under martial law
They said it couldn’t be done. It was martial law, after all, and among many freedoms suppressed by Ferdinand Marcos Sr.’s repressive regime (1965-1986) was the right to organize a legitimate union. Strikes were banned, and only government-friendly unions were recognized. But a hardy group of journalists at the Journal group of publications (Times Journal,...
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Barbie’s story in the Philippines is not all glamour and glitter
The pink, sparkly dress of the Barbie doll has been veiling something much less glamorous—the loss of thousands of jobs when the company that manufactured the toy in the Philippines closed shop. It is now a blurry episode for most Filipinos, but it may still be fresh in the memory of the workers, mostly women,...
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A meditation on technology and humanity
There is much talk these days about how artificial intelligence or AI could threaten human existence. AI is feared to achieve such a high degree of self-learning that it will surpass human intelligence and may consider us a threat and turn upon us. Really now? Certainly, the importance of AI in our lives is impossible...
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Despite the rains, record-breaking hot days and years may be expected
The rains are here but hot and dry days may be expected because of El Niño possibly starting between June and July and lasting up to March, according to the Philippine weather bureau Pagasa. Elsewhere in the world, forecasters at the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said temperatures are likely to soar and break records over...
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As amnesty deadline nears, many property heirs unaware of crucial regulation
It’s a race to the finish for heirs scrambling to settle the estate tax for properties they inherited from relatives who died in or before 2017 as the window of opportunity narrows. Heirs can pay the estate tax and beat the amnesty deadline even without a settlement of the estate if they can submit other...
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With amnesty, property heirs can save on costs, avoid aggravation
Those who inherited property from loved ones who died in or before 2017 better avail themselves of the estate tax amnesty while there is still time. The amnesty period is to end on June 14, unless the government extends the deadline anew. An estate tax is a levy on the privilege of transmitting property upon...
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Life with cell tower: Safe technology pushed amid industry rush
(Last of two parts) Life with cell tower: Folks wary of metallic neighbor CITY OF CALAPAN, Oriental Mindoro—When Rosendo Rojas came home from a month-long vacation in Tarlac to vote in last year’s May elections, he was startled by an unlikely neighbor beyond his fence: A rising telecommunications tower. Rojas and the other residents of...