What goes on in Bilibid
As of yesterday, the prison population in the maximum-security camp of the national penitentiary in Muntinlupa was 15,978, being guarded by 126 Special Action Force men per shift. Which means that the ratio of guards to inmates is 1 to 126 in the maximum-security camp. And that there is terrible congestion because the original...
A comprehensive tax reform to fund inclusive growth is in sight
A major tax reform program to finance and sustain the country’s development program is due to be submitted for enactment by Congress this month.
Nine lives to save
PhilHealth says they enrolled nine out of ten Filipinos. This film says PhilHealth protects only one in ten.
Cleverly planted witness, or for real?
Edgar Matobato: Is he a cleverly planted witness to destroy President Duterte’s reputation? Or is he for real? On the basis of what I have read and heard, these are the arguments for the two sides.
Tact and diplomacy: Duterte-Obama miscues, the fallout and the economy
No single event in the last week has dominated Philippine discussion more than the spat that arose out of the media report on President Rodrigo Duterte’s outburst a day before his trip to the ASEAN summit in Laos.
WASH for child health: Some evidence in support of public intervention in the Philippines
Like in many developing countries, diarrheal diseases remain a top cause of child mortality and morbidity in the Philippines. Partly to address this problem, the government has undertaken programs to expand access to safe water and sanitation facilities, especially among poor households.
Comprehensive Tax Reform in the Philippines: Principles, History and Recommendations
This paper provides a background to options available to the government moving forward, starting with basic principles of taxation, criteria for evaluation, tax instruments and mix of instruments.
‘Skeletons of their kleptocracy’
Why does one solicitor general call Marcos a kleptocrat, stealing from the Filipino people, and another solicitor general call him a hero?
Asean business outlook, US foreign investments, and the Philippines
The American Chamber of Commerce in Singapore and the US Chamber of Commerce undertook its ASEAN business outlook for 2017. It is based on a survey of American business executives located in the ASEAN region. My interest in reviewing this survey is to highlight the implications on the Philippines.
Procurement Auctions with Interdependent Values and Affiliated Signals
Procurement auctions that assume independent private values (IPV) provide a benchmark for analysis that is readily demonstrated but often unrealistic.
Furies-in-waiting
Remember the “Three Furies” of the Aquino administration? They were tasked to seek out the corrupt in the administration, and they went about it like, well, like the three furies of Greek mythology.
