Living in an archipelago of over 7,000 islands, Filipinos are well-acquainted with the Pacific Ocean. For many of us, the sound of the waves is the soundtrack of daily life. In parts south, the Badjao live most of their lives on houses right over the water, and all over the world, countless Filipinos are recognized as skilled seafarers.
From the moment we first beheld the unique magic of people power in 1986, we have scanned the political horizon for signs of its recurrence. The possibility that it will appear again gives us eternal hope. Its unpredictability, however, keeps us guessing when and in what form it will happen again. Its elusiveness tells us that while it can catalyze reform, it doesn’t linger long enough to form the basis for enduring change.
Now that President Aquino has thumbed down proposals to change the economic provisions of our Constitution, our officials should turn to other ways of attracting long-term foreign direct investments (FDIs). These are the kind of investments that spur inclusive growth, alleviate poverty and create jobs. Unfortunately, FDIs have, in the past, come in trickles although they have been poured massively on our neighboring countries like Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia.
In previous years, the observance of Philippine Independence Day usually involved the hosting of a program for overseas Filipino workers in Taipei and other cities hosting OFWs. There would usually be a formal reception to which Taiwanese officials, business people, and prominent Filipino residents were invited.
The story is told of three senior citizens, who were a bit hard of hearing, having a conversation. The first one said, “Today is windy, isn’t it?”
So there’s this guy. Quite a lad, not too young, but still can’t be called a man. He has tattoos on his arms, a piercing on the right side of his nose, and a spider tattoo on his hand. I like it.
So he finally admitted it. The number of precinct count optical scan machines that had experienced transmission problems, said Commission on Elections Chair Sixto Brillantes Jr. last Thursday, wasn’t in the hundreds but in the thousands—18,000, or 24-25 percent of the around 78,000 machines deployed in the midterm elections.
Commission on Elections Chair Sixto Brillantes has the right of it when he says that the 60-30-10 pattern of voting that was observed by concerned netizens in data posted by the Comelec’s transparency server for the senatorial race was not indicative of fraud. But then he spoils it all when he explains his reasoning.
ABAC Philippines presented some best practices in social enterprises in the country at the last Apec Business Advisory Council meeting in Singapore in April. These best practices were presented as innovative business models that can support entrepreneurship, encourage the growth of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and help promote inclusive growth.
Naty has not heard or read about the Marcoses, Estradas, Binays and Ampatuans wresting election victory. She is a 53-year-old beggar who looks a haggard 80. What matters is even leftover food, she shrugs.
Much of the gratification in doing election surveys comes from the voters’ overwhelming appreciation of them.
When Wendy Kopp—who founded Teach for America (TFA) in 1989 after proposing it as her undergraduate senior thesis at Princeton—was the luncheon guest of the Makati Business Club and the Management Association of the Philippines, she did not need to delve into any educational philosophy. All she needed to do was share her personal journey.
