While heading the Department of Foreign Affairs over the last five years, our firm belief was that it was necessary for the Philippines to effectively assert its rightful place in the community of nations.

 

While China laid out the red carpet for President Duterte this week and returned the embrace of the Philippine leader, it is under no illusion that Manila will pivot away from Washington. “We should not take a zero-sum view on these relationships.”

 

A symposium on Mindanao issues and federalism has gathered experts, conveners, and University of the Philippines alumna and students in an afternoon filled with compelling discussions and delightful sharing of political opinions.

Nearly half of the Filipinos are poor, more than 25 percent are extremely poor, a terrible violation of human rights. Some weeks ago I explained that a “Social Market Economy,” which neither tolerates the inhuman consequences of purely profit-driven capitalism nor does it repeat the mistakes of socialist state-centralism, would be the concept of choice for sustainably overcoming poverty in the Philippines. The dignity of each human being is its core value, the market mechanism built on fair competition its main steering mechanism, a strong but subsidiary state, protecting openness and fairness of the markets and providing its citizens with a supportive framework for free and productive work and life in dignity, its guardian.

MANILA, Oct. 17 - Labor and Employment Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III directed the 17 Regional Offices to cancel or suspend the Certificates of Registration under Department Order 18-A of contractors and subcontractors practicing illegitimate contracting and subcontracting arrangements, including ‘endo’.

 

The move to introduce changes in the 1987 Constitution via a Constituent Assembly (Con-Ass) has begun to snowball in the House of Representatives (HOR).

This, after two House Deputy Speakers in Cebu-3rd district Rep. Gwen Garcia and Batangas 2nd district Rep. Raneo Abu both withdrew their respective measures calling for a Constitutional Convention (Con-Con), which was the other popular mode for Charter change (Cha-cha) among congressmen.

The model concept of a Social Market Economy

More than 40 million Filipinos are poor. The sorrows! What to eat tomorrow; the fear of getting sick; no money for the doctor; the constant danger of falling into a deadly debt spiral. No money to send the children to good schools. No money for house repair, to buy clothing. Poverty – let us not betray ourselves – means a miserable life. For many million Filipinos it means hunger, no home, no regular income. It means serious violation of human dignity.

 

The first 100 days of PRRD have been a whirlwind. In street lingo, Duterte is like a spinning top (torompo), hitting everything and almost everyone is trying to decipher what he is doing. He has upped the ante. And can anything be worse than his narrative?

 

The House Committee on Constitutional Amendments is set to begin today its deliberations on proposals calling for a Constituent Assembly (Con-Ass) and Constitutional Convention (Con-Con) as a mode of amending the 1987 Constitution to pave the way for a federal system of government.

 

Washington – Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte will seek billions of dollars in infrastructure investments from China in the coming months as the country seeks to alter its relationship with Beijing, Philippines Finance Minister Carlos Dominguez said on Saturday.