NEDA chief Arsenio Balisacan answers questions during a media briefing at Malacañang yesterday. WILLY PEREZ MANILA, Philippines – High unemployment and poverty incidence will remain a big challenge for the government in the next 10 years or so even amid steady growth – largely because of decades of squandered opportunities, the government’s chief economist said…

MANILA, Philippines—Congress and several business groups have described as an attack on an individual’s constitutional right to privacy the unilateral move by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) requiring taxpayers to reveal more details about their bank deposits in their income tax returns beginning this year.

(First of three parts) Everyone is washing his hands of the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (Epira) of 2001, now that it has reared its ugly head.

We are finally reaching a tipping point when it comes to the analysis of gender imbalances in companies. After decades of pointing the finger at women and what they do or don’t do, a chorus of voices is putting the responsibility for gender balance where it belongs: with business leaders.

“P-Noy must listen to other voices, not only to his close advisers,” says the activist Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC). FDC issued a press release in response to the rise in joblessness among Filipino adults.

The biggest window of vulnerability to chemicals occurs in utero, during infancy and early childhood, experts say. (CNN) — The number of chemicals known to be toxic to children’s developing brains has doubled over the last seven years, researchers said. Dr. Philip Landrigan at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York and Dr. Philippe…

MANILA – The Philippines ranked first in a global index, first released by a research group in 2013, that attempted to quantify a population’s feelings of love. One year after the its release, one of the authors of the study still marvels at “the most amazing (non-linear) relationship ever discovered in economic data.”

PROTECTION. The youth of Tanauan, Leyte find refuge in an open space where they can learn about reproductive health. Photo by Save the ChildrenPROTECTION. The youth of Tanauan, Leyte find refuge in an open space where they can learn about reproductive health. Photo by Save the Children

MANILA, Philippines – Two Mindanao lawmakers have filed a bill seeking to extend the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) by five years. Land acquisition and distribution as provided under Republic Act 6657 will expire on June 30 this year.

MANILA, Philippines – Eight buses in a bus terminal were burned down by suspected members of the New People’s Army in the town of Lemery early Sunday morning, police said.

Why only now? Today, the mobilization phase of the NLEX-SLEX Inter-Connector project begins in the heart of Metro Manila between Makati and the City of Manila. After 45 days or so, the actual construction work will begin in earnest. Motorists in Metro Manila have been told to brace themselves for what promises to be 2…

2 Metro mega-road projects under way MANILA, Philippines—Are you ready for some truly monstrous traffic jams and “bear with the short-term inconvenience,” as Malacañang pleaded Sunday?

The economy may slow down this quarter from the previous on slacking imports, tourism, electricity consumption and volatility in financial markets, according to an index of 11 key data collated by the state statistics office.

Read Part 1 here MANILA, Philippines – Smuggling of agricultural commodities has become widespread in recent decades because some policies and procedures in the country’s importation system have become antiquated.

Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan on Monday said the government seeks to cut the poverty incidence in the Philippines to just 16.6 percent by 2016, the year President Benigno Aquino III steps down from office.

MANILA, Philippines – The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) has expressed support for a four-day school week in Metro Manila, which aims to ease traffic once the construction of 15 major road projects begins.

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Energy (DOE) is investigating a number of power generators, including the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. (PSALM), for violating rules on trading and dispatch in the electricity spot market during the 30-day maintenance shutdown of the Malampaya natural gas platform, Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho Petilla said Saturday.

During the last Cabinet meeting, I understand that P-Noy was perplexed by the issue of persistent poverty. In his way of thinking, he might have thought that by making the CCT a flagship program of his administration and pouring billions into it, even a tiny bit of improvement would manifest by now.

THE ASSOCIATION of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) must continue to work on harmonization and convergence after it pushes through with market integration next year, a Cabinet official said.

COMMON TICKET: The use of a common ticket for all MRT and LRT train lines in Metro Manila is a great idea, but its adoption is being delayed as contentious issues surface involving some bidders vying for the ticketing contract.

The National Grip Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), the private consortium that holds the franchise and is responsible for bringing the electricity produced by power plants to distribution utilities, has a lot of explaining to do.

LAL-LO, Cagayan—The New People’s Army (NPA) has taken responsibility for the Jan. 13 burning of vessels, heavy equipment and machinery belonging to a Chinese company that is conducting black sand mining operations along the Cagayan River.

(First of three parts) MANILA, Philippines – In the 1980s, smuggling of agricultural commodities had evolved into a big-time illegal trade, with the value of such products estimated at $6 billion a year.

SINGAPORE — Bapari Jakir’s employers wanted to see him off the job, but the welder was heavily in debt and didn’t want to go back to Bangladesh. So, he says, they encouraged him to leave — by hiring a company whose thugs held him captive in a room, holding a knife to his throat.

The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty. — Winston Churchill At the Feb. 5 conference of the 130-year-old multinational American Standard at Shangri-La Makati Hotel, I was invited to give a speech on the topic “How to have a winning attitude.” Here’s a condensed version of my…

MANILA, Philippines – With traffic jams expected to worsen this year due to infrastructure construction, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Francis Tolentino is pushing for a four-day school week.

MANILA, Philippines – Most Filipinos do not see themselves entering into a relationship with someone of the same sex, according to a recent Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey.

There was slightly stronger-than-expected growth in Germany and France in the final three months of last year, helping the eurozone’s recovery.

MANILA, Philippines – Can you imagine your city with cars occupying only half of the roads, while all-weather bike lanes and sidewalks, bus rapid transit, and public trains have the other half?