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BusinessMirror Editorial
Government must ensure PHL gains from trade deals
Trade in Asia-Pacific will soon get a shot in the arm if the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership is signed next year. Members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and six other major economies in the region are now finalizing a “mega-trade deal” that is expected to dispel the doom caused by the trade war between the United States and China. RCEP parties have good reason to bank on the trade arrangement as their economies accounted for nearly half of the world population, close to one-third of the global economy, nearly 30 percent of global trade and about one-third of global investment
inflows last year.
New skills for new jobs
How truly different the world is today. It used to be that a college degree guaranteed your success in the job market; that if you finished school you are almost certain to get a job. Schools prepared students for work. They gave you the training needed to be successful in most aspects of a professional career.
Uncivilized behavior
The recent series of earthquakes in Mindanao—as all calamities usually do—brought out the best and worst in human nature. However, if events in the past few years are any indication, humans are regressing rather than progressing as a global society.
Financial inclusion in the Philippines
‘Financial inclusion refers to efforts to make financial products and services accessible and affordable to all individuals and businesses, regardless of their personal net worth or company size. Financial inclusion strives to remove the barriers that exclude people from participating in the financial sector and using these services to improve their lives.”—Investopedia.com
Facebook News Tab: Newspapers’ lifeline?
Journalism plays a critical role in democratic societies. When news is properly sourced, it gives people reliable information. When it’s not, everybody loses an essential tool for making informed decisions. Sadly, news publishing became a precarious business with the advent of the Internet. Advertising revenue accounts for the lion’s share of newspaper income. When corporate advertisers started heavily relying on cheaper and more dynamic online advertising space, newspapers were left holding the bag.
Managing animal diseases effectively require help of LGUs
Nearly two decades ago, a law that gave more power to local governments also gave them the responsibility of providing veterinary field services. The Local Government Code of 1991 disabled the direct authority of the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) over local livestock industries in various areas, according to a paper dubbed “Current Status of Important Transboundary Animal Diseases in the Philippines.” One of the authors is the current BAI officer in charge, Dr. Ronnie D. Domingo.
PHL fourth worst? Not necessarily
A sociologist from the University of the Philippines has this to say about the Barretto sisters telenovela: “The way that the Filipinos have subscribed to this family feud shows a lot about our national character of being intrigue-driven and celebrity-centric.” This is another expert opinion: “In the Philippines, the obsession with beauty pageants is culturally entrenched.”
Should being ‘fat’ be acceptable?
IT is always unpleasant to talk about personal habits and that’s not beneficial. Yet, as a global society we have no problem discouraging and even forcing through legal means the use of tobacco, alcohol and even prescription drugs.
Lack of funding won’t stop UHC Law rollout
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III signed early this month the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the Universal Health Care (UHC) Law or Republic Act 11223, which
will pave the way for the implementation of the awaited program that ensures holistic health care for more than 100 million Filipinos.
Making movies is more fun in the Philippines
This seems to be the message and marketing goal of the Department of Tourism (DOT) when it recently linked hands with the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) to offer incentive packages for international filmmakers to lure them to shoot their films here in the country.
‘WeWork’ didn’t work
Almost every organization has a face. That face can be more aggressive, such as Ramon S. Ang for San Miguel Corp., or more subtle as Teresita Sy-Coson at SM Investments Corp.
Why do people commit suicide?
A Bloomberg report on Thursday (October 17) quoted an American government report saying that suicides surpassed homicides for US teens and young adults in 2010, and the gap continues to grow. “In 2017, suicide was the second leading cause of death, behind accidents, for all young age groups—10-14, 15-19, and 20-24—reaching a record high in 2017,” according to the Center for Disease Control. From 2007 to 2017, the suicide rate among people between 10 and 24 in the US increased by 56 percent.
Will China’s deflation spill over to PHL?
The International Monetary Fund made a fifth-straight cut to its 2019 global growth forecast early this week following a broad deceleration across the world’s largest economies. The IMF said the world economy will grow 3 percent this year, down from 3.2 percent predicted in July. Its 2019 forecast would be the weakest since 2009. “With a synchronized slowdown and uncertain recovery, the global outlook remains precarious,” said IMF Chief Economist Gita Gopinath. “There is no room for policy mistakes and an urgent need for policy-makers to cooperatively de-escalate trade and geopolitical tensions.”
Giving Pinoys access to cheap, healthy food
The administration of former President Benigno Aquino III aggressively promoted the consumption of brown rice and camote, which are good sources of carbohydrates, as part of government’s efforts to achieve rice self-sufficiency and reduce imports. The
campaign highlighted the health benefits of consuming brown rice and camote. Despite this, the government could not wean Filipinos away from white rice. Proof? There was no significant reduction in consumption, based on government data.
Taking its toll
We commend the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) for responding favorably to the call of two senators to reduce or suspend the toll fees at the South Luzon Expressway (Slex) amid the heavy traffic being experienced by commuters and motorists in the area due to the ongoing Skyway extension project, particularly in the northbound lane of the Alabang viaduct.
The PHL economy is better than you think
A nation’s economy is highly complex and even complicated. Understanding the data requires putting it all in context and analyzing the implications. As they say, the devil is in the details.
Manila: 3rd worst in the world?
This past week the headlines were about all the same on this topic, and they were depressing and discouraging. “Manila is third among 56 cities with lowest quality of life.” It is never a happy experience to be ranked near the “Top of the Worst.”
What the President’s Russia trip revealed
President Duterte visited Russia for the second time to broaden and deepen ties with the world’s largest country—Russia occupies one-tenth of all the land on Earth—in all areas of cooperation from security and defense to trade and investment,
agriculture, energy, science and technology, and socio-cultural exchanges. The trip was capped by a pledge from his idol, Russian President Vladimir Putin, who promised to support the Philippines in fighting terrorism.
Banana sector’s greatest threat
Among all tropical fruits grown in the Philippines, the banana is widely available due to the relative ease with which it can be cultivated.