If Western mainstream media are to be believed, the likes of North Korea, Iran, Cuba, Syria and, until recently, Venezuela are rogue states. They are considered “rogue” because they supposedly flout international law by “promoting terrorism,” seeking to develop or already having nuclear weapons, widely disregarding human rights, or engaging in the narcotics trade. As...
Tag: economy
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Low arrivals, high receipts: Why Philippine tourism’s next growth phase is about value, not volume
At first glance, the Philippines’ tourism recovery appears incomplete. International arrivals have not returned to pre-pandemic highs, and the pace of inbound recovery lags behind that of several Asean peers. Yet beneath this apparent weakness, tourism receipts have surpassed pre-pandemic levels even as visitor volumes remain below 2019 numbers. This divergence signals a structural shift...
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The illusion of Asean’s economic integration
Since its establishment in 1967, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) has gone through several phases in its bid for regional integration. From the 1992 Asean Free Trade Area, the 2002 Asean Economic Community, and finally the 2007 Asean Charter provision of three guiding pillars foremost of which was the Asean Economic Community, a...
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In 2024, workers were caught between economic difficulties and political intramurals
Last year, workers faced severe challenges in their wages, benefits and working conditions as they were caught in the vise of economic difficulties brought about by the cost-of-living crisis and escalating intramurals between the two leading political dynasties in the country. While the average inflation of 3.2% in 2024 was almost half compared to 2023,...
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As Bulacan airport project advances, salt farmers fear loss of livelihood
BULAKAN, Bulacan—In the waning heat of the day, 57-year-old Reneboy Ybañez would begin raking salt from clay-lined salt ponds in Barangay San Nicolas in Bulakan town. By 3 p. m., most of the seawater in the ponds had evaporated, leaving salt crystals that he and the other workers would harvest. Reneboy and his wife May,...
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Forced to move, coastal communities in Bacoor struggle with relocation
(Last of two parts) First part: https://coverstory.ph/2024/11/19/bacoor-rezones-waters-for-reclamation-reducing-fishing-grounds/ Bert Cabornay, who at 56 has been fishing for three decades, used to farm clams and mussels in the area now occupied by the Manila-Cavite Expressway or Cavitex. Forced to move farther out, he now takes 20 minutes in his boat to reach his mussel farm in Bacoor...
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Bacoor rezones waters for reclamation, reducing fishing grounds
(First of two parts) While he still can, Bert Cabornay continues to fish in the sea off Bacoor City, Cavite. He rows farther than usual, towards clearer waters and away from his mussel farm that is barely operating. Cabornay, 56, noticed in 2020 that the waters around his farm had become turbid. It was during...
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Marcos Jr.’s Sona and great expectations
As many as 23,000 cops are to be deployed for security during President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s State of the Nation Address on July 22. Maj. Gen. Jose Nartatez Jr., the chief of the National Capital Region Police Office, rejects criticisms of “overkill.” He mentions a number of protesters; it’s uncertain if the number includes those...
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Is the American empire unraveling?
We are not witnessing the last days of the American empire. Its crisis is real, but its trajectory of decline is likely to be protracted and uneven. After the fall of the Soviet bloc in the early 1990s, the United States stood at the apex of the unipolar world, unrivalled both politically and economically. Some...
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‘Economic Cha-cha’ is sweeping the political dance floor
The plot thickens with the Senate announcing full participation in the planned activity of the moment: the amendment of the Constitution. Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri’s surprise filing on Jan. 15 of Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) No. 6 proposing the amendment of certain economic provisions represents a stronger than usual push for Charter change....