This question is often asked, because it is a reality. A lot of times, the most undeserving get all the blessings, especially the most cherished of all — good health and a long life. But some of the kindest, gentlest souls are serrated by the loss of a loved one, financial misfortunes, or a painful, debilitating illness. Sometimes, misfortunes come in a row to people who don’t deserve even a paper cut. And why is it that some people who are evil personified live a life that is heaven on earth? Read the rest of this entry »

Last month I wrote about a bill before Congress that would both help fight the offshoring of call-center jobs and protect consumers. Now the countries where we have been sending those jobs are organizing a lobbying campaign to fight the bill. Read the rest of this entry »

Employees at a Foxconn factory in Wuhan, China, some of whom reportedly threatened to kill themselves over a wage and working-conditions dispute, have instead come to an agreement with the manufacturer. Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve been asked many times this question in the last few weeks: Where do I stand in the midst of all these frenzied efforts to exact judgment at whatever cost and through whatever means possible?

The honest answer, which I have so far kept unarticulated until this writing, is that I view the whole sordid chain of events with pained resignation. Read the rest of this entry »

At a time when we should be hearing Christmas carols and gearing up towards the yuletide celebrations, it seems that people’s lives have needlessly been “trespassed and infested” by life sucking politics, media sensationalism and the personal grudge matches of politicians and rich families. Read the rest of this entry »

MANILA, Philippines – Our gathering today is called a Summit on Poverty, Inequality and Social Reform. This is not the first time that we have met for such a purpose. One might therefore ask, why another summit? Read the rest of this entry »

Cost of food, utilities rose in October; Bangko Sentral not alarmed

Inflation rate accelerated in October to a four-month high of 5.2 percent on higher cost of food and utilities, after typhoons disrupted supplies. Read the rest of this entry »

THE Philippine Economic Zone Administration was blamed by the Occupational Safety and Health Center for being overprotective of foreign firms at Subic Freeport and not allowing safety inspections that could had prevented the accident that led to the death of six steel workers hired by Keppel Shipyard. Read the rest of this entry »

I was deeply immersed in preparations for a national conference in the last two weeks and I didn’t have time to think about anything else. I still have tons of emails to wade through, but there is one thing that I needed to get out of the way. So to the many friends and readers who cared to send me emails and the links to Geoffrey James Quartermaine Bastin’s scathing blog on Manila, yes, I got your ardent pleas for me to weigh in with my own two cents’ worth. Read the rest of this entry »

NEWS ANALYSIS

MANILA: The stimulus package of P72 billion pesos or US$1.7 billion was unveiled by President Benigno Aquino 3rd on Wednesday has been hailed but at the same time belittled by some sectors. Read the rest of this entry »