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By Luis Leoncio The country’s “state of democracy” im­proved last year, based on the annu­al Democracy Index of think tank Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) as it placed 50th out of 167 countries from 54th last year, which placed it at par with the United States in the group of so-called flawed de­mocracy.

The Duterte administration has as­sured that there will be no change in the value-added tax (VAT) ex­emption for senior citizens and persons with disabilities (PWDs).

The P1 Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) 2017 commemorative coin was of­ficially unveiled by President Duterte and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Amando M. Tetangco Jr. during the launch of the Philippines’ Asean 2017 Chairmanship in Davao City on January 15.

Many jobs can be performed just as well outside of the work­place with the aid of technolo­gy, such as in the employee’s home, that employers and em­ployees can explore together and agree on to address traf­fic and work-life balance is­sues, said a labor executive. Mary Grace Riguer, OIC-executive director of the Institute for Labor Studies, an attached agency of the …

By Riza Lozada The country has among the world’s cheapest cost for hous­ing but the income of most Filipinos is not enough to afford to purchase a home for their family.

Listed East West Banking Corp. (EastWest) will issue up to P10 billion long-term negotiable certificate of deposit (LTNCD) which will be initially offered with terms of 5.5 and 7 years and the pro­ceeds from which will be used for expansion of long-term de­posit base and for general funding purposes. The Monetary Board of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) recently …

Vista Land and Lifes­capes (Vista Land) and the University of the Philippines (UP) launched the first phase of development for the up­coming UP School of Tech­nology Entrepreneurship to be built in the state universi­ty’s new UP Alabang campus.

A joint survey of the Japan Center for Economic Review and business pub­lication Nikkei Asian Review showed that the impact of President Donald Trump’s impact in Southeast Asia will differ by country but is expected to be beneficial for the Philippines.

By Luis Leoncio The government would provide additional cash doles to the 10 million poorest families, aside from their regular stipends under the Pantawid Pamily­ang Pilipino Program (4Ps), once Congress approves the Department of Finance (DOF) proposal to increase the ex­cise tax on oil products.

Proposals to amend the so-called sin tax law to revert to a two-tier sin tax system, em­bodied in a bill that has been approved by the House of Representatives, may have to wait longer as the Senate said it would still review the overall impact of the Sin Tax Reform Law.