The next President should be Noynoy Aquino’s opposite
Studies show that countries that have invested in public infrastructure have a competitive edge over others who have not. But when governments underinvest in infrastructure, making it deficient and unreliable, then infrastructure becomes a major constraint to long-term growth.
How travel by road and Ro-Ro in LuzViMin can be improved further
To invoke the sense of singleness of geography and love of country, parents used to call their first born child with variants of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, hence, Luzvimin. We ought to think along the same lines.
Travelling by road and ro-ro to the Visayan islands and Mindanao
It is possible to travel by road from Luzon to any point in the larger islands of the Visayas and Mindanao without riding an airplane. It can be done (by road )with the help of roll-on, roll-off -- or Ro-Ro -- ships.
Securing the Pope and the nation’s business
The visit of Pope Francis from Jan. 15 to 19, 2015 is the most delicate high security issue the country will face for an official visitor for some time.
Metro Manilans are the favored offspring
The following information may help to shed more light on the raging controversy over the LRT and MRT fare increases. These are the cold, hard facts.
Last two minutes, still a lot to do
Benigno Aquino III’s term is winding down. It’s down to the last 18 months. On the economic front, there are a few things he can boast of: the strong growth in 2012 and 2013, the numerous investment upgrades, and his budget reforms.
What happened to funds for low-cost housing?
The victims of killer typhoon Yolanda continue to suffer because of lack of permanent housing. And even before they have recovered, Typhoon Ruby rudely visited them. The very few houses that have been built, most did not withstand Typhoon Ruby. So, what happened to President Aquino III’s promise to “build better?”
Opportunities lost in government underspending
Recent fiscal numbers suggest that the extent of underspending is getting worse, not better. Is this a case of not learning from past mistakes, or pure incompetence, or poor budget planning?
DAP and its implications – the public expenditure system is broken
The recent overflow of discussion concerning DAP (disbursement acceleration program) of the government which the Supreme Court declared unconstitutional highlights for me two major issues. First is that our system of public expenditure is broken and we need to fix it.
With poor logistics, how can we compete?
Much has been written about the Philippines’ huge deficiencies in public infrastructure and what needs to be done to catch up with its ASEAN-5 neighbors. That is not the subject of this article, however. Rather, it is the country’s logistics performance.
Iloilo — moving gently towards a bright future
As a major city in the Visayas, Iloilo has shown signs of great awakening. Eclipsed for most of the decades after the country’s independence, by Cebu and even by Bacolod, Iloilo has achieved quiet progress in the last two decades.
Not changing my mind on Vitangcol
About two months ago this column gave Al Vitangcol excellent marks as general manager of the Metro Rail Transit. Have I changed my mind after reading what has been said about him this week? Not an iota.
