PHILIPPINE tourism almost stands alone worldwide as a place that still has tremendous potential. Although affected by recent controversies mainly because of issues in security, the Philippines is well on its way to establishing itself as a major player in the tourism industry. The hostage-taking incident that happened on Aug. 23 is still a serious…
ACCORDING to Renaud Meyer, UNDP Country Director to the Philippines, the country’s performance in meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) remains “generally low,” with barely five years into the deadline. “Accelerating progress to attain the MDGs requires increased resources to deliver what has been promised to those for whom the MDGs are not a reality,”…
EVERY year, many undocumented students face a roadblock to their dreams of building a future in this country.They can’t drive, can’t work legally, can’t further their education and pretty much can’t do anything after school – just because they were brought to this country illegally by their parents or lost legal status along the way….
MOST people are used to using the metaphoric phrases such as “winning the lottery” or “hitting the jackpot” whenever they encounter a fortunate incident in their lives. In the Philippines, however, “winning the lottery” is more than just a phrase—it has become a recent mantra to those people who hoped that they could be the…
PYONGYANG’S shelling of the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong last November 23 has been considered by the government of South Korea as a clear-armed provocation. South Korea now warns North Korea that it will ‘sternly retaliate’ to any further provocation. On the other hand, North Korea viewed the joint military exercises by the US and…
WHENEVER Pambansang Kamao Manny Pacquiao brings down an opponent, roars and cheers from Filipinos reverberate across the globe – an astounding phenomenon called the “Pacquiao effect” which moved De La Salle psychology professor Adrianne John Galang to create a study to prove whether the pound-for-pound king is capable of boosting his kababayans’ sense of national…
DESPITE the ruthless barrage of criticism which hit the controversial “Pilipinas Kay Ganda” slogan campaign of the Department of Tourism, DOT Undersecretary Vicente Romano II’s resignation, surprisingly, incited positive feedback – both from the Aquino administration and from the general public. Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said that “the President appreciated the act of Undersecretary Romano…
There are situations in both divorce and child support cases where the Summons and Petition resulted to a default against one party for failing to respond in time. In certain situations, the defaulted party failed to respond in time because he or she did not even know that he or she was served with a…
Divorcing couples may have established revocable living trust for estate planning pusposes during their marriage which was funded primarily with assets acquired by one spouse prior to the marriage. The issue is what is the characterization of those property when the couple gets the divorce. Transmutation is the changing of the characterization of a property…
THE Philippine economy is booming. With foreign players starting to invest in the country, the time to harness the good prospect of doing business in the Philippines is now. Despite tough times due to the global crisis, the country is still able to offer the best investment opportunities. Last Monday, Nov. 15, President Benigno Aquino…
POUND-for-pound champ Manny “The Pacman” Pacquiao’s victory on Saturday has not only afforded him his eighth title in eight weight divisions – he has earned his rightful place among the ranks of the world’s greatest fighters. That, and a still unconfirmed 1.4 million in Pay-per-view buys on HBO should be more than enough to crow…
With the theme, “Change and Action,” attendees of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit have unanimously agreed “to adopt stronger mesasures to combat corruption, including denying safe haven to corrupt officials,” as reported by Philstar.com. The 21 members of the APEC aim “to promote free trade and economic cooperation throughout the Asia-Pacific region.” APEC members…
THE improvement of the Philippine economy has been brought to the forefront recently after it was included in the ten most-improved economies cited by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) together with the World Bank (WB). The country was named in its report that discussed making business easier through simplifying trade across borders in 2009/2010 with…
PNoy has expressed his admonition over the United States’ failure to alert and inform him about supposed terror threats in the Philippines—the US government’s justification for travel warnings issued to its citizens who are planning to visit the country. However, when it came to the Visiting Forces Agreement, concerns aired by the US government were…
Anothertyphoon has hit the home country. Recently, typhoon Juan hit part of the Philippines and as history showed, the Filipino community around the world, banded together to help those affected in the mother country. Filipinos pride themselves in helping one another. When Typhoon Ondoy ravaged the home country, Filipinos from all over the world emptied…
BEING a citizen of a country, we have certain rights and privileges. We also have responsibilities in order to contribute in making a positive change. One of these rights, as well as responsibilities, is to vote for the people who will work with us, listen to our needs and the needs of the society, and…
IN his effort to lead the country towards economic growth, last September, President Benigno Aquino III came home from a visit to the United States bringing with him $2.4 billion worth of foreign investment contracts that is expected to generate 10,000 jobs. The Department of Labor and Employment(DoLE) seems to confirm that the Aquino administration…
ABOUT 11 million Filipinos, or about 12 percent of the Philippine population live below the subsistence level. Because of the lingering poverty, hunger is prevalent in some parts of the country. Furthermore, 18 percent of our population is considered undernourished. President Benigno Aquino III has always reiterated his efforts to address poverty in the country….
THE 7th anniversary of Gawad Kalinga on October 10 proved to be a timely and opportune moment for President Benigno S. Aquino III to exhort hiskababayans to work together in the spirit of bayanihan. He called on Filipinos “to adopt a renewed spirit of volunteerism,” saying that the bayanihan spirit “will serve as a catalyst to bring the country back to…
ON October 2, President Benigno Aquino III completed his first 100 days as the leader of the Philippines, the day when Filipinos evaluated him as president. Although we may have differing opinions about how much he has achieved in more than three months, we should realize that grading him should not be based on popularity….
MARKING the 54th year since the Philippines and Japan decided to reconcile amidst the damage brought upon by the Japanese Military during World War II, Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Makoto Katsura can only say “arigato gozaimas (thank you very much)” to the Filipino people for being noble enough to accept the reconciliation offered by his…
One of the most in demand workers in the United States aside from nurses today are physical therapists. With the increasing population of the elderly the need for more therapeutic services, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics of 2006 had foreseen the demand for more physical therapists by 30 percent through the year 2018 at…
ENSURING a nation’s future and shaping the minds of its people is one of the most difficult jobs in the world. Part of this responsibility falls on the hands of teachers. It is with them we trust the transformation of meek individuals into successful men and women. In his acceptance speech as CNN’s Hero of…
DESPITE his efforts to keep to his promise of providing a more transparent and responsive government and his acquisition of $2.4-billion in investments from his successful trip in the United States, PNoy was still inundated with poor marks for his first 100 days in the presidency by various sectors. Retired Archbishop Oscar Cruz, who earlier…
MARRIAGE for many persons is the culmination of one’s life. Getting married signifies the beginning of a new phase in life, both socially and economically. For those persons who lack permanent residency in the United States and have married a United States citizen, marriage also presents an opportunity to obtain permanent residency. However, although the…
DEMOCRACY is defined as a government by the people, in which the supreme power is vested in the people and is exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system. During his inaugural speech last June, President Benigno Aquino III said, “Kayo ang boss ko, kaya’t hindi maaring hindi ako…
FOR thousands of undocumented young people who are still hoping to legalize their status in the US, the dream died on Tuesday, September 21, following the rejection of a defense spending bill in the Senate by the Republicans. Introduced in 2001 and revived in 2003, “The DREAM (Development, Relief, Education for Alien Minors) Act allows…
“All work and no play makes John a dull boy,” said Education Secretary Armin Luistro defending his decision to implement a no homework weekend for public elementary students. Last September 16 the Department of Education issued Memorandum No. 392 that orders teachers to avoid giving assignments to students over the weekend so they could spend…
HERE’S another one for the books, kababayans. President Obama recently announced the appointment of two prominent Filipino-Americans as members of the Presidential Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs). The commission was formed as an initiative of the White House for AAPIs. The White House initiative is a federal inter-agency group working to for…
A LITTLE scrimping and saving could go a long way. Barely three months in office and already, P-Noy is feeling the money crunch. He has resorted to austerity measures — first, by promising to bring a very lean delegation with him in his foreign travels and recently, by cancelling his scheduled October trip to the…
