The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
Through more than three centuries of Spanish Rule, the Roman Law legal system was transplanted in these 7,000 islands. By the Roman Law system, the basic ingredient is the enactment of positive law by the King or the Royal Audiencia, and the application of said law on the particular facts of the case. The resulting verdict is the result of …
Points of View & Perspectives
August, 2026
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30 August
When foreign interests enter Phl politics
The allegation that some Filipino politicians may be receiving support from China to promote Beijing’s interests in the West Philippine Sea should not be dismissed as another political accusation. Neither, however, should it become an excuse for reckless labeling or public condemnation without evidence. Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. says there is reason to suspect that some politicians are receiving …
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23 August
Rex Gatchalian’s Trust Rating Is a Mandate, Not Just an Award
LOVE FOR ALLBy: Virginia Rodriguez When a government official earns the highest public trust and performance rating among Cabinet secretaries, the recognition should mean more than a congratulatory message. It should be treated as a responsibility to do even more for the people who depend on government. Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian has emerged as …
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23 August
Development Budget or Political Investment?
REALPOLITIKBy Benjie Alejandro The Palace’s declaration of a higher development budget for local government units (LGUs) in 2027 is being framed as a bold step toward inclusive growth. More money for local projects, more resources for communities—on paper, it sounds progressive. Yet in the unforgiving calculus of politics, timing is everything. And the timing here is suspect. Why now? …
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23 August
Cynicism amidst school shootings
School shootings will continue to plague the country despite the familiar assurances from government and the police that everything is being done to prevent another tragedy. The recent shooting at a high-end private school in Zamboanga will likely not be the last. A parent at the earlier shooting in Tacloban, Leyte, warned as much—and the warning appears to have gone …
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23 August
How not to generate jobs
EBITDABy DIEGO C. CAGAHASTIAN It is both the mandate and duty of the government to manage the economy well, and thus provide jobs and livelihood for its constituents, who in turn are expected to dutifully pay their taxes, cooperate in nation-building, and even willfully surrender part of their privacy and rights for the sake of national security. Under this framework, …
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16 August
Impeachment. Alex Eala. Julmar Cordero.
They occupy my thoughts these past days. That mpeachment is top of mind is a no-brainer. The sounds and images are forced upon us via news channels each day a hearing is held. Sound and light waves fill our eardrums and retinas for a regular fare lasting several hours. The optics are full of technicalities. The dance and cadence of …
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16 August
New name, same animal
Revelation of a “leadership fund” distributed to “all senators” under the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) budget raises troubling questions whether the country has quietly resurrected the pork barrel system that the Supreme Court already declared unconstitutional. Former Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan told the Sandiganbayan that “all senators” in the previous Congress received at least P500 million …
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9 August
Nepomuceno’s Bold Stand for Integrity at Customs
LOVE FOR ALLBy: Virginia Rodriguez In government, credibility is built not by lofty promises but by decisive action. At the Bureau of Customs (BOC), Commissioner Ariel F. Nepomuceno is proving that meaningful reform requires firm leadership, uncompromising accountability, and the political will to confront corruption wherever it exists. His latest directive leaves no room for ambiguity. By ordering tighter security …
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9 August
P633 Million Question: Safe Havens or Ghost Projects?
REALPOLITIKBy Benjie Alejandro The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) recently announced the allocation of more than P633 million for the construction and rehabilitation of 24 climate‑smart evacuation centers across disaster‑prone provinces. On paper, this initiative is both timely and necessary. The Philippines, after all, sits squarely in the path of typhoons and is vulnerable to earthquakes, floods, …