Latest Articles

  • THIEVES, RELATIVES IN A NARCO-STATE

    THIEVES, RELATIVES IN A NARCO-STATE

    President Rodrigo Duterte was fuming mad in his 50-minute late night press conference the other night (August 21), at the presidential palace.  He announced the firing of the current Bureau of Customs chief, former military […]

  • The BTS Phenomenon

    The BTS Phenomenon

    “Are you Army?” said my first friend in dance fitness. I thought she meant the military but she meant the hardcore BTS fanbase. BTS stands for “Bangtan Sonyeondan” which translates to “Bulletproof Boy Scouts” not […]

  • Journalism’s best, brightest, bravest, and biggest names

    Journalism’s best, brightest, bravest, and biggest names

    By Antonio S. Lopez The “MOPC Journalism Awards” have been a huge, stunning success. On Oct. 25, at the gala event attended by journalism’s best, brightest, bravest and biggest names, 11 individuals and three major […]

  • Why I started my comedy channel Humor Me Ivy

    Why I started my comedy channel Humor Me Ivy

    COVID killed my sense of humor. I was so depressed from the death toll that I stopped doing anything and just watched K-Dramas on Netflix. I told my kids I was doing research to see […]

  • PH has the money to prosper amid wars in Ukraine and Gaza

    PH has the money to prosper amid wars in Ukraine and Gaza

    As mankind winds down the first quarter of the 21st century, the world is suddenly in the grip of two large regional wars –Ukraine-Russia and Israel-Hamas.  Both have the unpredictable potential of flaring into larger […]

  • Economies recover

    Economies recover

    Economic performance in the region is being shaped by both external and domestic developments. By the World Bank Growth   Most economies in developing East Asia and Pacific (EAP), other than several Pacific Island countries, […]

  • NGCP vows higher transmission capability as power demand growth doubles to 6.7%

    NGCP vows higher transmission capability as power demand growth doubles to 6.7%

    By Antonio S. Lopez In a series of hearings recently, senators took turns pummeling key officials and legal luminaries of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP).   In three hearings on May 17, […]

  • Can the Philippines process business permits in just 10 to 15 minutes?

    Can the Philippines process business permits in just 10 to 15 minutes?

    By Tony Lopez Ten minutes. That is the commitment I was trying to wangle from Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri and House Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez on how long an investor can get a business […]

  • A breathtaking decline

    A breathtaking decline

    By Tony Lopez Recent governments in the Philippines have exulted about the so-called robust economic growth. Yes, indeed, the Philippines has been growing strongly.  But growth has not been as good as the growth rates […]