By DIEGO C. CAGAHASTIAN WHILE the Philippines will most likely fail to attain the status of upper-middle-income-country (UMIC) by the end of this year, Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan exudes confidence that the country will finally make it next year or in the years to come. Balisacan admitted that the country’s economy needs to perform exceedingly well for several years …
Read More »
Holiday shoppers and companies taking advantage of the traditional holiday spending are being warned of possible cyber-attacks or online fraud, according to a cyber-security company. Fortinet, a cyber-networking and security firm, said in a recent seminar the ongoing increased spending and remittances are creating subtle opportunities for cyberattacks. Bambi Escalante, Fortinet country manager for the Philippines, said Filipinos are particularly …
Read More »
Former public works Secretary Rogelio Singson, after recently resigning from the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI), appealed to lawmakers to immediately pass a bill that aims to strengthen ICC’s power in investigating corruption in flood control projects. Singson lamented ICI’s lack of resources that limits its powers to investigate politicians and their collaborators from the private sector involved in anomalous …
Read More »
The Supreme Court (SC) unanimously ordered the return of P60-billion remitted funds to the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation or PhilHealth and prohibited any further transfer to Philhealth funds to the National Treasury. SC spokesperson Camille Sue Mae Ting said, “The SC, through the ponencia of Associate Justice Amy C. Lazaro-Javier, unanimously ordered the return of PhilHealth funds previously transferred to …
Read More »
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) decided to withhold any fare increase for public utility jeepneys, both traditional and modern, considering the widespread economic impact of recent natural calamities. Acting DOTr Secretary Giovanni Lopez said it was not the right time for a fare hike. He said, “A fare hike will have a big impact in the economy as a whole, …
Read More »
Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Vince Dizon believes that young engineers will be crucial in restoring public trust in the department, as they attempt to recruit new civil engineers. During a recent visit to Davao City, Dizon offered a job to newly licensed civil engineer Dave Rusty Recososa, son of jeepney driver Tatay Edwin Recososa who offered …
Read More »
According to a recent study, Filipino Gen X and Millennials prefer digital and social media platforms over traditional media, merely “watching” content. The study by Comm&Sense Inc., involving 400 Filipinos aged 27 to 58 nationwide, explored their media-based activities and media platform preferences. Respondents revealed their preferred platforms to ‘watch’ – Facebook (92%), YouTube (86%), TikTok (68%) and Instagram (44%). …
Read More »
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has named Angelito Magno as acting chief of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), replacing retired judge Jaime Santiago who recently resigned. In October, the President appointed Magno as NBI officer-in-charge. Magno served as NBI assistant director for legal service. He started working in the agency in April 1991 and became director in March 2010. Magno …
Read More »
Akbayan party-list Representative Chel Diokno filed a bill allowing private citizens to directly initiate forfeiture cases against erring government officials. In the midst of high-profile government corruption investigations, Diokno filed House Bill 6619 that would empower private citizens to take an active role in recovering stolen money from corrupt officials. The bill also seeks to update a 65-year-old law, Republic …
Read More »
The Supreme Court (SC) allowed the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) to continue representing the government in cases that challenged the legality of the arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte who was turned over to the International Criminal Court (ICC) last March. The high tribunal granted OSG’s manifestation to re-enter its appearance as the government’s counsel after the institution …
Read More »
The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business