Digital Solutions for COVID-19 response
Democracy Watch supports the initiatives of local government units (LGUs) in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic with digital solutions. It is important for LGUs to respond with dynamic solutions to the challenges posed by the virus. This includes upgrading digital infrastructure to help test, trace, and vaccinate citizens. The cooperation between the public and private sectors […]
Commentary: The arbitral ruling five years later
by Paco Pangalangan, originally published in The Philippine Star New satellite images show that swarms of Chinese ships have been dumping sewage and waste in the West Philippine Sea, damaging coral reefs and threatening the food supply of millions in the region. During a recent international conference organized by Stratbase ADR Institute (ADRi), a […]
Urgency and Unity Towards Economic Recovery
Urgency and Unity Towards Economic Recovery Democracy Watch calls for an urgent and united response to the challenges the country faces today. The pandemic has exacerbated various hardships: joblessness, hunger, lack of proper infrastructure, and health security to name a few. Together, the public and private sectors have the tools and capacity to address these […]
Commentary: Righting the course for Philippines’ COVID-19 resilience
Commentary: Righting the course for Philippines’ COVID-19 resilience Paco Pangalangan originally published in Philstar.com In a recent interview, Department of Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said he was “pissed” at a recent Bloomberg study that ranked the Philippines 52nd among 53 economies in terms of COVID-19 resilience. However, the ones that should really be pissed […]
A Harmful Regulation: Scrap the BIR RR No. 5-2021
A Harmful Regulation: Scrap the BIR RR No. 5-2021 Democracy Watch stands against the provision of the Bureau of Internal Revenue’s (BIR) Revenue Regulation (RR) 5-2021 that will increase the tax on private education institutions. If implemented, these schools will be taxed at 25% instead of the regular 10% rate. This is a glaring 150% […]