Reckoning of Bayanihan Law disbursements now!
Reckoning of Bayanihan Law disbursements now! Democracy Watch Philippines is alarmed by the reports of shady deals that link the Philippine government’s biggest supplier of medical goods during the COVID-19 pandemic to President Rodrigo Duterte’s former economic adviser Michael Yang. According to these reports, Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation, a little-known firm with close ties […]
Don’t forget about the education crisis
Don’t forget about the education crisis By Paco A. Pangalangan, originally published in BusinessWorld The State of the Nation Address (SONA) is a constitutional obligation and yearly tradition wherein the President reports on the status of the country and unveils the government’s agenda for the coming year. Like clockwork, on every fourth Monday of […]
Commentary: Why Duterte’s recycled rhetoric is a winning strategy
Paco Pangalangan (Philstar.com) Many were disappointed by President Rodrigo Duterte’s recent State of the Nation Address (SONA). Many had hoped that the president would use his sixth and final SONA, which lasted almost three hours, as an opportunity to go into detail on his government’s plans to address pressing issues such as the COVID-19 Delta variant […]
Securing Online Spaces
Securing Online Spaces Democracy Watch highlights the need to promote safe internet services. Citizens have increasingly relied on online platforms to conduct their transactions since the start of the pandemic. However, the benefits of online connectivity exposes users to scammers and other cybercriminals. Democracy Watch calls on the government to ramp-up its efforts in protecting […]
Commentary: E-governance readiness is critical for COVID-19 response
Commentary: E-governance readiness is critical for COVID-19 response Paco Pangalangan It was recently announced that some local government units (LGUs) have begun to partner with telecommunications companies to improve COVID-19 response capacities. These are welcome developments indeed, given the critical role of technology and e-governance in efficiently and effectively responding to citizens’ evolving needs […]