President Aquino wants to be a reformist president, and he’s doing a good job at reforming society. His “daang matuwid” resonates with the people, and is something they want: a clean, honest government that cares. But they also want a decent life, and that he hasn’t yet provided.
I was going to continue with my column of last week, but I will have to defer it. Several of my friends implored me to write on the elections because they were worried. In a conversation we had as to who they’d vote for for the Senate, they had great difficulty naming 12. Once they [...]
The investment-grade rating given by Fitch (I expect S&P and Moody’s will follow soon) is of great credit to President Aquino’s administration and Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima. I believe a key ingredient here that was missing in the last administration is the trust that the people have in Mr. Aquino. There were many factors taken [...]
I, quite simply, fail to understand the Philippine Catholic Church. It vehemently opposes the Reproductive Health Law. Fine, it has every right to. But what it doesn’t have a right to is to dictate its belief to others. The law will give Filipinos of all faiths, or none, the option to request family planning assistance, or not.
Some of my friends disagreed with my last column. Not on leadership, no argument there, but on creating a Department of ICT (Information Communications Technology). And not, I’m glad to say, for the non sequitur reason that there are already too many departments. There are, but that isn’t, or shouldn’t be, the issue. If there are too many, is a DICT the least necessary? As I argued in my last column, decidedly NO. There are departments of far less use that can go.
I talked about the importance of leadership recently (Inquirer, 2/28/13) and how it determines the path of a country using the two Koreas as a dramatic example. Leadership is particularly important in a hierarchical society like the Philippines. On the larger scale, it can determine where a country goes, but it can also affect what happens in a particular sector, or a specific issue. And it can affect not only that sector or issue but a wider sphere through indirect impact.
I’m going to continue on the campaign trail because now is a good time to push reform, and we sure need reform. Here’s why: Over the past 40 years I’ve watched the Philippines sink from the top (the second best to Japan) to near the bottom in Asia. People talk about it, but no one seems to really care enough to reverse this sad decline. The one factor I know is not the cause is the people, who have more than proved their abilities.
Christmas is upon us. A time, perhaps, to reflect on the past. Not the 2000 years past, although that’s an inevitability as we approach Christmas, but “in our lifetime” past.
Let me give you a few points to ponder when considering whether or not we need to open up the economy by amending the Constitution. Because now is the time to discuss it. If we do, we can vote upon it in 2013.
On Monday we will mark the 30th anniversary of our company, Wallace Business Forum (www.wallacebusinessforum.com). Very few companies in our business of consulting have survived this long. Most have folded or been folded into a larger organization, a successful ploy itself. But we’ve maintained being independent.
On Dec. 21, Congress closes down for the year. That’s the day when the sin tax law must be voted upon. By Jan. 21, when Congress resumes, politicians will be consumed by thoughts of winning again. And raising taxes is not a way to win votes. So it must be now.
In some ways, the mining companies have themselves to blame for the mess they’re in today. They have failed to get their message through: that mining is good for a country, and its people. I venture to suggest that if you ask the average man or woman on the street their awareness of mining and its benefits, they’ll be hard pressed to answer.
