The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
By Water for the People Network The 20th anniversary of the privatization of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) in August was considered a milestone by privatization proponents.
Points of View & Perspectives
October, 2017
-
9 October
Asean fuels success in the region
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) has significantly helped its member-states achieve economic progress, a Vietnamese senior economic official said.
-
1 October
Andy Bautista gets one-year reprieve
Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Andres Bautista can now heave a sigh of relief, at least for one year, after the Committee on Justice of the House of Representatives dismissed the impeachment complaint filed against him for being insufficient in form.
-
1 October
Federalism may worsen inequality—PIDS forum
A shift to federalism at this time could worsen regional inequality given the existing highly imbalanced and inequitable political and economic development among regions, provinces, and cities across the country.
-
1 October
Thinktank calls Du30 tax package as Train to nowhere
Among the hype the Department of Finance (DOF) uses regarding the government’s tax reform package is how taxes paid by the poor will go back to them in the form of infrastructure projects and social services. The reality however is that the taxes will go largely to big-ticket infrastructure projects in and around the National Capital Region (NCR) that the …
September, 2017
-
24 September
House blinks
As we write this piece, media reported that the House of Representatives has partially restored the Commission on Human Rights’ (CHR) budget for 2018.
-
24 September
The Senate fluke
By Jun Ledesma I find it rather odd that tattoos and bank deposits will have any relevance to the Senate investigation on a P6.4-billion drug shipment, part of which had been recovered in Bulacan. Odder still is the attempt of Senator Antonio Trillanes to impute that (Davao City) Vice Mayor Paolo “Pulong” Duterte and brod-in-law Mans Carpio have influence over …
-
24 September
Sustainable goals, Paris pact pushed at WEF forum
The World Economic Forum recently held its inaugural Sustainable Development Impact Summit, positioned as a platform to help advance public-private cooperation – and harness the potential of the Fourth Industrial Revolution – to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and Paris Agreement on climate change.
-
3 September
UBER’S P500 million lesson in humility
One by one, mousy, inconsequential and oft-ridiculed government agencies are stepping up and are finally flexing hitherto unused regulatory muscle.
-
1 September
Duterte backs FDA thrusts
It looks like the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) remains as the only agency in the government health sector that can weather the onslaught of controversies. It will be recalled that the Department of Health (DoH), the mother agency, has been besieged with issues which held the confirmation of Secretary Paulyn Ubial by the powerful Commission on Appointments (CA) hostage.