Currently viewing the category: "Anti-Poverty & Caring for the Poor"

A Quarter of the Way

On November 24, 2011 By

That is how much of P-Noy’s term of office would have expired by the end of next month. It usually marks the end of the window of opportunity for introducing major reforms. In the case of the US presidency, the current occupant of the White House President Obama [...]

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New Beacons of Hope: 9th Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations

On October 31, 2011 By

I’ve been a part of the search for Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations for three years already because of the nature of my job. No, I am not one of the finalists, let’s just say our office is pretty much involved in this annual search for youth organizations who [...]

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Towards a Strategic Development Road Map (Update)

On August 4, 2011 By

The following is a matrix of the Strategies contained in the government’s Philippine Development Plan 2011-16  plotted against the five key results areas under the Cabinet Cluster system of the Aquino Cabinet.

The five themes include: 1) Good Governance and Anti-Corruption, 2) Human Development and [...]

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Securing our future through Agriculture

On July 16, 2011 By

The average age of Filipino farmers, according to the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food Sen. Kiko Pangilinan, is 57. Meanwhile, the average age of the Department of Agriculture‘s (DA) employees is mid 50′s.  Aren’t  the figures alarming?

To solve this hounding problem in the [...]

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Sticking to the script

On June 13, 2011 By

Marking the 113th anniversary of the Philippine declaration of independence, President Aquino used the solemn occasion to highlight the fulfillment of his campaign pledge to rid the country of corruption.

Speaking at the ancestral mansion of Emilio Aguinaldo, the revolutionary leader in Kawit, [...]

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The Austerity of Hope

On May 27, 2011 By

Has PNoy’s righteous path unintentionally led to more misery?

In 1973, a book co-authored by public policy guru Aaron Wildavsky was published. It had a very verbose title that read: Implementation: How Great Expectations in Washington are Dashed in Oakland; Or Why It’s Amazing that [...]

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P-Noy’s “Penance” for the RH Bill

On April 18, 2011 By

Heading into the Easter break, the president makes a pitch for his own version of the reproductive health bill. Could this be his way of making penance with the pro-RH cause for the sin of omitting their bill from his legislative priorities?

With his [...]

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The joke is on us!

On April 14, 2011 By

The Supreme Court ruling favoring former Marcos crony Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco, Jr. demonstrates that kleptocracy is alive and well in the country.

As economist Cielito Habito will tell you, coconut farmers not rice farmers constitute the poorest of the poor in the Philippines. They also [...]

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How Sri Lanka Overtook the Philippines

On March 3, 2011 By

It is a continuing expression of the financial market’s faith in the story of poor countries catching up with richer ones propelled by economically liberal policies.

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The Politics of Reform

On February 21, 2011 By

The Asia Sentinel at the end of last week posted a piece entitled The Philippines’ Tentative President. It makes the point that as he enters his ninth month in office P-Noy has yet to demonstrate that “he has the will to use his popularity and the [...]

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