Governance

By Antonio Contreras, 6 Aug 2020 THE urge to write something positive and inspiring about President Rodrigo Duterte is strong, after weeks of being so overly critical of him. But it is difficult, particularly when one is confronted with the series of missteps that he, his officials and his government have made recently.

By: Cielito F. Habito, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 16 Jun 2020 A particular social media post circulating in Filipino struck me. Translated into English, it says: “(1) Problem: no rides. Solution: ride bicycles. Government response: P150 bike registration fee; (2) Problem: no jobs. Solution: online selling. Government response: tax online selling; (3) Problem: poultry business losses.…

By VG Cabuag, Businessmirror, 10 Jun 2020 The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Tuesday said it will continue limiting its face-to-face transactions with the public as it continues its online company registration and monitoring services.

By Tomas Iñigo P. Socrates, Manila Times, 18 May 2020 Second of two parts Near perfect balance The main predicament that arises from the disruption and reduction of economic activities is that many Filipinos are left in dire need. Most Filipinos do not have any income in the meantime since they cannot go to work.…

By Catherine S. Valente, TMT, Manila Times, 9 May 2020 Filipinos are “satisfied “with President Rodrigo Duterte’s leadership in the country’s response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic, according to a foreign online survey.

by Louella Desiderio (The Philippine Star ), 15 Apr 2020 MANILA, Philippines — US exporters continue to face barriers to expanding trade with the Philippines such as corruption, phytosanitary and sanitary measures, foreign investment restrictions, as well as concerns on intellectual property (IP) protection, the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) said.

Read more here.

Think tank’s confidential interviews reveal extent of industry problem by Philippine Daily Inquirer, 9 Jan 2020 Construction companies allot up to 35 percent of their budgets for infrastructure projects to pay off government officials and employees and prevent them from causing any further delays, a think tank said, citing confidential interviews with industry players.

By: Doris Dumlao-Abadilla, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 2 Jan 2020 The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has tweaked the regulations on nonprofit organizations (NPOs), citing the need to apply more “focused” measures in dealing with money laundering and terrorist financing threats.

By Gerg Cahiles, CNN Philippines, 16 Aug 2019 Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 16)— Deputy Ombudsman Cyril Ramos reckons that the government might have lost to corruption around ₱1.4 trillion in the past two years.

by Jarius Bondoc (The Philippine Star), 16 Aug 2019 Filipinos marvel at new Manila Mayor Isko Moreno because he’s a magician. All he did was hose down dirty roads, parks and markets. And presto! In the process he curbed street chaos and bureaucratic sleaze, and is making the national capital livable again.

Read more here.

By Elijah Felice Rosales, Business Mirror, Jun 19, 2019 THE country’s antitrust body has trimmed to 15 working days, from 30 calendar days, its review period for merger proposals in line with the government’s policy on ease of doing business (EODB).

by Ian Nicolas Cigaral (philstar.com) – Apr 3, 2019 MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday night ordered a review of all government contracts with companies and other countries — a development that business leaders said they would closely watch amid uncertainty over the directive’s effect on investor confidence.

by Faye Orellana, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Mar 2, 2019 MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Saturday expressed its pleasure on the latest ranking in the World Justice Project Rule of Law Index 2019, which saw it moving three notches up from its ranking last year.

by Helen Flores, The Philippine Star, Jan 30, 2019 MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines’ ranking has improved 12 notches in the 2018 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) conducted by the global anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International.

Read more here.

by Dharel Placido, ABS-CBN News, Jun 06 2018 MANILA—President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday said he will put problematic government offices, which are beyond his jurisdiction, under his personal control.

Read more here.

SCORE LOWEST IN 5 YEARS by MDM, GMA News, Feb 22, 2018 The Philippines slipped in the global Corruption Perception Index 2017 after getting its lowest score in five years, and was even tagged as among the “worst offenders” in the Asia-Pacific Region.

Read more here.

by Kris Broekaert, Feb 13, 2018 In today’s era of transformative scientific and technological advances, businesses are not only creating new products and services. They are reshaping industries, blurring geographical boundaries and challenging existing regulatory frameworks.

by Nima Elmi, Jan 18, 2018 In the face of rising inequality and falling levels of trust, political leaders and their citizens are becoming increasingly sceptical about the potential of further global integration to contribute to national interests. Yet at the same time, public and private sector organisations and individuals are embracing a range of…

Economists and politicians are defining a vague label in the confusing age of Donald Trump, Bernie Sanders, Marine Le Pen, and Nicolas Maduro. By Peter Coy, Jan 9, 2018 “Populist” is a funny word. It sounds like a compliment—someone who respects the will of the people!—but it’s used as a put-down. The label has been…

Read more here.

BY RIGOBERTO D. TIGLAO, Manila Times, Apr 10, 2017 Coa must now do a real audit I APPLAUD President Duterte’s recent tirade against his predecessor Benigno S. Aquino 3rd and the latter’s budget secretary, Florencio Abad, over their Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP), which was really an unprecedented, mammoth hijacking of government funds.

by Elijah Joseph C. Tubayan, Businessworld, Feb 27, 2017 THE BUDGET department sees more than a tenth of general civil servants will be affected by the proposed fat-trimming in government agencies within the first year of implementation. In its report to the Senate committee of civil service last week, the Department of Budget and Management…

Liza Reyes, ABS-CBN News, Jan 19 2017 The Supreme Court (SC) has junked with finality the government’s appeal to stop the return of nearly P5 billion in withholding taxes it charged on anti-poverty bonds and pay interest for failure to comply promptly with the court’s earlier ruling.

By: Leila B. Salaverria , Philippine Daily Inquirer, Jan. 18, 2017 Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez is the wealthiest member of President Duterte’s Cabinet while Agrarian Reform Secretary Rafael Mariano is the poorest, according to the net worth that they declared upon joining the government.

BY RICARDO SALUDO, Manila Times, JANUARY 12, 2017 How can ordinary Filipinos help President Rodrigo Duterte beat corruption for good? In his message on Monday’s Black Nazarene procession, he extolled the Filipino’s untiring faith and unrelenting fight against injustice and corruption. Duterte now needs both to win against sleaze for good.