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To mark the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty (Oct. 17), the World Bank (WB) issued a Poverty and Equity Brief for the Philippines this week (https://bit.ly/PhJobsineq). It cited the government’s latest poverty number, which refers…
There have been times when the truth has been swept aside without compunction in favor of a lie that the powerful had wanted to spread. I remember Adolf Hitler and his chief propagandist, Joseph Goebbels. They made…
This is one global ranking list where we would not want to be ranked No. 1. The World Risk Index 2022 (released September) ranked the Philippines first in the world in risk among 193 countries worldwide (representing…
Historian Mina Roces in 2001 defined “palakasan” as “a system wherein those in power compete with each other in obtaining special privileges and exemptions from regulations and bending the rules of law for their kinship group.” It…
I used to tell my students not to aspire to get a job after finishing their studies, but to aspire to create jobs. That is, aspire not to be employees but to be employers, as entrepreneurs. Could…
Every human settlement is a political settlement, too. A developed, secure, and peaceful human settlement does not only emanate from physical structures but is a result of social consensus and negotiation between and amongst people. Yet, Marawi…
A country’s institutions are strong when they are able to maintain their autonomy against pressures that seek to alter their standard operating procedures in order to accommodate the interests of powerful actors. The key word here is…
Let me get this out before all else: Hear ye! While I do not wish it, a curse may befall those who intentionally delay the legal processes to block the release of former senator Leila de Lima…
A story is told about an unprecedented public health menace that swept the whole town of Venice, Italy, in 14th-century Europe. The authorities, alarmed that the “Black Death” was fast spreading and ruthlessly consuming its people, resorted…
Since colonial times, and, who knows, perhaps even before, the history of the Chinese in the Philippines has been one of extortion at the hands of officials. Let us combine this sweeping generalization with another, best expressed…
A seafarer, who was no longer deployed back to work, may be entitled to total and permanent disability benefits due to an illness that he suffered while on board the vessel. This was the ruling of the…
What’s wrong with our infrastructure? It’s all about the three attributes in our title: we don’t have enough, it’s not reliable, and costs too much. And these hold true whether it’s electric power, water, transport, telecoms, or…
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