US AMBASSADOR Mary Kay L. Carlson said Washington is moving forward with talks that would unlock US assistance for the Philippines’ transition to nuclear energy. In a speech before the Makati Business Club (MBC) on Tuesday, Ms. Carlson said signing a “123 agreement” — referring to Section 123 of the US Atomic Energy Act — […]
Tag: would
Pushback to ‘holiday economics’ centers on disadvantages for no-work, no-pay employees
PROPOSALS to enact a “holiday economics” measure will help prop up tourism as a pillar of the recovery, analysts said, but such a policy could be negative for employees who are not paid on days they do not work. Percival K. Peña-Reyes, director of the Ateneo Center for Economic Research and Development, said that the […]
‘Father of Sinulog’ launches book
“GO BACK to the past, experience the present and retain everything in the future.” This is what David “Kuya Boy” Odilao Jr., the father of Sinulog, continuously advocated to the people as he launched his book entitled “My Life, My Legacy” on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023, at SM Seaside City Cebu. Friends and family showed […]
Letigio: Growing up without ‘Mama’
My mother would have been 63 years old by now. She would have celebrated her birthday last January 20. Yet in my mind, she’s still 49 years old, frozen in age with my last memory of her, before I went to school on the morning of January 25, 2008. It wasn’t the last time I […]
Dubai in December
As I looked down at the view before me from the 40th floor of the tallest hotel in the world in Dubai (Gevora), the first thought that crossed my mind was, “How can a modern city be so beautiful?” I have never been a fan of the urban jungle-type setting, so I was delightfully surprised […]
Film industry bats for reduced taxes in Congress
THE film industry told Congress it is too heavily taxed, and added that reducing the tax burden would encourage filmmakers to produce more movies of higher quality. At a hearing of the House committee on creative industry and performing arts, producer Josabeth V. Alonso proposed a reduction in the amusement tax on movies to 5% […]
Bank of Korea raises interest rates, hints they will now be steady
SEOUL — South Korea’s central bank raised its policy interest rate by 25 basis points on Friday, as expected, but bond yields plunged in response to comments suggesting its 1-1/2-year rate-hike campaign had ended. The benchmark 10-year treasury bond yield dived as much as 14.3 basis points to 3.270%, its lowest since late August and […]
Building real confidence: National interest as the best driver of foreign policy
After President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.’s trip to China last week, the question on everyone’s mind was: What now? What does this trip mean for our territorial dispute in the West Philippine Sea? Certainly, the photos and the news reports during and after the official visit were encouraging. President Marcos Jr. met with no less than […]
PHL gov’t eyes WB loan for agriculture project ’scale-up’
THE PHILIPPINE government is looking to obtain a $550-million loan from the World Bank (WB) to boost its rural development program. A document uploaded on the World Bank website showed the Philippine government is seeking funding for the proposed Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) Scale-up. “The PRDP Scale-up aims to improve farmers’ and fisherfolk’s access […]
Batuhan: The Great Leveler
“The FIFA World Cup, through the power of football, will bring people together to cross borders, unite and celebrate together. Football Unites the World is a global movement to inspire, unite and develop through football.” (FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022) As I write this piece, the world is poised to witness, what has perhaps been […]
Letigio:Remembering Odette
If there is one storm that truly changed my life, it would be the super typhoon Odette that hit Cebu and its neighboring provinces exactly a year ago. I remember how things unfurled on that night Odette arrived on Dec. 16, 2021, because I was still an on-field reporter then and I accompanied Cebu City […]
Belgian airport officials float launch of Manila-Brussels flights
THE PHILIPPINES may soon have direct flights to Belgium, which would serve as a new travel option between western Europe and southeast Asia, the presidential palace said. The proposal came from Brussels airport executives who met with Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. and Philippine Airlines (PAL) officials on Tuesday. “That’s something that we would […]
ECB to raise deposit rate by 50 bps on Dec 15 as bloc enters winter recession
LONDON – The European Central Bank will take its deposit rate up by 50 basis points next week to 2.00%, despite the euro zone economy almost certainly being in recession, as it battles inflation running at five times its target, a Reuters poll found. Since starting its inflation-fighting campaign in July, later than its peers, the ECB has been raising rates at its fastest pace on record and […]
Carvajal: Prison break out
“… I was in prison and you visited me.” Matthew 25:36 In the gospels, Christ specifies that visiting prisoners is one work of mercy that helps one get admitted into the kingdom of heaven. Judging, however, from the notoriously subhuman conditions in our prisons, taking care of prisoners would look to be the least of […]
Briones: ‘Poor’ Cebu City
According to the assessment conducted by the Department of Social Welfare and Development in 2019, Cebu City had 11,805 poor households, the highest number among local government units in Central Visayas. Assuming that each household would consist of an average of two parents and three children, although I have the feeling the number would be […]
Limpag: Bea, Russel, Lolo Romy and the World Cup
Seventeen years ago, I told my brother that I was going to miss the birthday of his daughter, Bea, as I was on three-week assignment in Bacolod for the Southeast Asian Games. I remember telling myself then that one day, when I get a column, this will be one good material. Well, this is now. […]
Medalla voices caution over plans to create $4.9B sovereign fund
Central bank governor Felipe M. Medalla on Friday voiced caution over a legislative proposal to create a sovereign wealth fund overseen by President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., saying transparency over its governance would be key. Mr. Medalla, in an interview with Bloomberg TV, said a key concern for him would be how the fund would […]
Over 1,000 vacancies on offer at BoI job fair on Dec. 12
THE BOARD of Investments (BoI) will conduct a job fair at the Makati Coliseum on Dec. 12 as part of its ongoing effort to help provide employment opportunities. In a statement on Monday, the agency said the BoI@55 Job Fair would feature over a thousand job vacancies at BoI-registered companies involved in sectors such as […]
In Britain, nurses prepare for unprecedented strike over pay
GOSPORT, England/LONDON — Chukwudubem Ifeajuna, a nurse in the south of England, loves his job, but next month will walk out for two days as part of British nurses’ biggest ever strike action, which he says is necessary for staff and patient welfare alike. The industrial action on Dec. 15 and Dec. 20 is unprecedented […]
CCCI opposes ‘expensive’ provision in disaster resiliency legislation
NEARLY a year has passed since Typhoon Odette (Rai) brought widespread devastation in Cebu, the proposed disaster resiliency ordinance has yet to be passed by the city council after a local business group objected to some provisions of the legislation. The City Councilor James Cuenco-authored legislation, called Resiliency and Efficiency Amidst Disaster and Emergency (Reade) […]