Asean integration is upon us. Whether Filipino organizations recognize it or not, the prospect of economic integration is changing business dynamics across the region, creating new opportunities and with it, new risks.
Farmers’ groups have long complained about smuggling that has been very detrimental to their livelihood. Quick actions are imperative.
When I get home from work after a long day in the company of numbers and tax statutes, I try to unwind—as millions of Filipinos do—by watching television. However, since the election season is in high gear, an hour of primetime TV is usually punctuated by campaign ads, ranging from the amusing to the maudlin. There’s a whole host of candidates out to persuade us that they’re worthy of our votes, and I’ve discovered that with each passing election, it’s becoming harder and harder for me to find a candidate I can really believe in. I can’t help but wonder—is it because we become more cynical with age? Or is it because, strangely enough, we become—in a certain sense—more idealistic, demanding more from our politicians than mere campaign promises, popularity and charisma?
When we observe Labor Day on Wednesday, let us remember our farmers—the backbone of our food supply. In our labor force, farmers are the most adversely affected by climate-related events, such as typhoons, due to their dependence on climate, poor economic condition, and high-risk areas. The challenge to us is to protect them, as well as our food supply, from climate change risks.
The April 10 editorial of a daily, headed “Because they can,” ended with the line, “Poachers intrude into our waters because they can—and we can’t stop them.” The editorial also said, “Philippine authorities, for their part, should get serious about improving the country’s maritime patrol capability …” Ships and boats leave ports overloaded. Local [...]
We recently convened around 60 people from business, the academe, NGOs and even the religious in a one-day workshop on Sustainable Lifestyles.
Asean Integration by 2015 is just around the corner. Despite the fast approaching deadline, the prevailing sense is that the country somehow seems unprepared to meet the competitive challenges when trade barriers are lifted to allow for the free flow of goods and services in the region. The business sector needs a carefully constructed environment it could use to steel themselves for the onslaught while giving foreign competition a serious run for their money.
In my past advocacies, I discussed the development impact of tree crops in Southeast Asia: How a well-managed and focused development of cocoa, coffee, oil palm and rubber lifted millions of rural poor out of poverty and energized the domestic markets for goods and services.
I was elated to know that P-Noy is going to South Korea for a visit.
In a recent report released by the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), “Doing Business 2013,” the Philippines ranked No. 143 out of 185 economies in terms of ease in paying taxes.
If I recall, in connection with last year’s theme, “Moving Twice as Fast,” I said that the economy would not move that fast. I said then that “if we take the lowest actual growth rate of 3.2 percent of 2011 and multiply it by two, this would give us a 6.4 percent minimum growth rate for 2012 in order to reflect an economy that has moved twice as fast.”
There is a potential controversy surrounding oil palm that could discourage domestic and foreign investments. If not nipped in the bud, it will have an impact on poverty reduction, particularly in Mindanao.
