MANILA, Philippines – The local stock market rose by a meager 4.07 percent last year, the slowest pace in 10 years, as natural calamities and financial turmoil took a toll on investor sentiment. Read the rest of this entry »

MANILA, Philippines – Impeach was the word of the year, with the former ombudsman and the Chief Justice being the target of political proceedings, both being identified with the past Arroyo administration.

President Aquino could not be swayed from his straight path, opting to fulfill his campaign promise of going after those who wasted the country’s resources and swelled the ranks of the poor. (Kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap.) Read the rest of this entry »

MANILA, Philippines – The “problem” the government wants to have more than anything now is a wider budget deficit.

It’s ironic because for years, the government has been trying to narrow the budget gap and the previous administration even attempted to balance the budget by 2010 supposedly. Read the rest of this entry »

MANILA, Philippines – The “problem” the government wants to have more than anything now is a wider budget deficit. Read the rest of this entry »

MANILA, Philippines – The Aquino administration has worked itself up towards a favorable rating in terms of addressing energy-related concerns and issues in 2011, as challenges remain at its midst in 2012 and the years to come. Read the rest of this entry »

MANILA, Philippines – The agricultural sector in 2011 felt the full impact of climate change, which thwarted plans by the Department of Agriculture (DA) to raise rice and corn production this year, then moving on to rice self-sufficiency by 2013. Read the rest of this entry »

THE WORLD saw the Philippine foreign office take strong policy stances in 2011 on the protection of Filipinos put at risk in the Middle East and the protection of Philippine sovereignty in parts of the Spratly island group that clearly belong to Palawan province.

The Spratlys are in the West Philippine Sea (also called the South China Sea).

The unprecedented strong stance taken by the Department of Foreign Affairs in both issues is being seen by some observers as a result of the arrival in February of DFA Secretary Albert del Rosario. Read the rest of this entry »

MANILA, Philippines – The early part of the year saw the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in full gear in its campaign to color the country green through tree planting.

The DENR immediately released the guidelines for the government’s “National Greening Program” (NGP) which seeks to plant 1.5 billion trees in 1.5 million hectares nationwide in six years, starting in 2011 until 2016. Read the rest of this entry »

MANILA, Philippines – Monetary authorities are gearing up for more economic uncertainties next year as growth in emerging East Asia is expected to remain weak due to the global economic crisis.

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. said the necessary economic, fiscal, and financial reforms that are crucial to restoring the sustainability of a balanced global growth should be put in place sooner rather than later after the economic gains achieved two years ago stalled last year and as the 2012 global outlook has deteriorated. Read the rest of this entry »

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine economy struggled under the weight of weak public spending and the crises – financial and natural – in the world’s major economies, but has remained resilient in the first full year of the Aquino administration.

According to latest economic data, the Philippine economy, as measured by the gross domestic product (GDP), grew by only 3.2 percent in the third quarter of the year, noticeably far behind the 7.3 percent third-quarter growth recorded in the same period last year. Read the rest of this entry »