𝗗𝗱𝗢 𝗘-𝗚𝗼𝘃 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗯𝗮𝗴𝘀 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟮 𝗖𝗦𝗖 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗔𝗚-𝗔𝗦𝗔 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱

Another winning streak of the province stands out at the national level after the e-Gov Technical Team of the Provincial Information and Communication Technology Office (PICTO) bagged the 2022 Honor Awards Program’s Search for Outstanding Government Workers under the CSC PagAsa Award (Group Category).

On January 9, 2023, Governor Dorothy Montejo-Gonzaga personally handed over the certificate of commendation to the team right after the regular flag-raising ceremony at the Capitol Grounds. 

Gov Gonzaga congratulated the team headed by PICTO PG Head Joyzel R. Odi and expressed her gratitude and gladness for the feats of the province. 

Since 2015, the team has developed multiple information and communication technology (ICT) computer systems that foster the delivery of public service at various levels: Government to Government (G2G), Government to Citizens (G2C), Government to Business (G2B), Government to Internal Processes (G2I), and Government to Pandemic Response (G2P). 

Among the ICT solutions established and duly recognized nationally were the following: DDO iPortal, Document Management System, Blood Distribution Management System, Funds Utilization Management System, CallDdoc, 1DdO Helpline, and Household Profiling and Needs Assessment System. 

In addition, aside from the cash incentive worth P60K given by the province, the CSC also grants P100K for each group members. 

It is worth noting that the eGov Technical Team laid a vital cornerstone for digital literacy and governance in the province for employees and the Davaoeños as a whole. 

HAP is the highest annual recognition rite conducted by the CSC that recognizes government offices, officials, and employees who have excelled and shown great dedication and commitment to public service. 

(R. Hortizano, Photos by Jonie Cadiz)

ARE YOU IN LOVE WITH YOUR LIFE?

Sometimes, we feel our life is turning miserably. Our negativism doesn't allow us to keep our eyes, ears - and, most important! - our minds, hearts and souls opened. We're reaching our breaking point.

This breaking point can be the prelude to our strongest moment. Can be! Must not! But if yes, then it is when we reach our breaking point,  we discover our real strength. Allow me to ask you, my dear readers: "What happens to you or with you when you reach your breaking point?" Do you face it or do you run away? I'll be giving you a very simple answer: If you face it - you break it. If you run away (and/or close your ears, eyes and mouth) - it breaks you!

Are you in love with life? 

Contrary to what might be expected, I look back on experiences that, at the same time, seemed especially desolating and painful with a particular satisfaction. Indeed, everything I have learned, everything that has truly enhanced and enlightened my existence, has been through affliction and not through happiness.

If it ever were to be possible to eliminate affliction from your earthly existence, the result would not be to make life delectable, but to make it too banal and trivial to be endurable.

By observation, we can feel that many of us need help to manage our everyday life. We need something that would keep us going as we journey through life. Many times we can also learn from other people and their experiences.

And here is one more thing: Affection is the humblest love - it gives itself no airs. It lives with humble and private things: soft slippers, old clothes, old jokes, and the thump of a sleepy dog's tail on the kitchen floor. The glory of affection, the disposition of mind, the good will and tender attachment, that can unite those who are not "made for one and another"! .

The love of your life is the person you are most comfortable with, who you naturally feel that you can be yourself around. This is someone who makes you feel loved for who you most essentially are. When you are loved at this level, you transform into the best possible version of yourself you can be.

Too often we stop ourselves from dreaming and fantasising about the future for fear of disappointment. Yes, life doesn’t always deliver what we hope and we must understand this. But to progress and have goals, we first need to dream and imagine what could be. When we dream we learn about what we truly value in life.

Listen to some ambient music in bed before you fall asleep and just see where your mind goes. Think about what happiness means to you and notice what that involves. And then think about what action steps you need to take to move closer to reaching your dreams.

For me life has been a thing of ups and downs in approximately equal measure. I don't have something sensational to report every day about my progress. Often, I wonder if fulfillment in life is necessarily tied to change for the better. But one thing is for sure: I keep staying in love with life.

PhilHealth extends accreditation deadline for health facilities

by Analou de Vera, MB

Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) (MANILA BULLETIN)

Health facilities can still file their application for renewal of accreditation with the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) until the end of this month.

“Please be informed that PhilHealth will extend the period of filing of application for renewal of accreditation for CY 2023 of health facilities until Jan. 31, 2023,” PhilHealth said in a statement on Monday, Jan. 9. 

This move is aimed at ensuring “continuous access to quality health services by all Filipinos,” it said.

“Only applications with the complete documentary requirements submitted to the respective PhilHealth Regional Offices on or before the said period shall be accepted,” it noted.

“Applications received for renewal of accreditation beyond this period shall result into a gap in accreditation,” it added.

The state health insurer said that health facilities may coordinate with PhilHealth regional offices if they have clarifications.

First Metro Manila Summer Film Festival to be held in April

by Robert Requintina

Award-winning actress Laurice Guillen, head jury of the 2022 Metro Manila Film Festival; Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and MMFF Over-all Chairman Atty. Romando Artes; and MOWELFUND Chairman Boots Anson Roa-Rodrigo (MMDA Photo)

Following the success of the 2022 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF), the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) announced on Monday, Jan. 9, that it will hold the first Metro Manila Summer Festival (MMSF) this year.

Atty. Romando Artes, MMDA and MMFF Over-all Chairman said the inaugural film fest will kick off in partnership with Cinema Exhibitors Association of the Philippines (CEAP).

The MMSF will run for an 11-day period, from April 8 (Black Saturday) to April 18, in cinemas nationwide. 

The Parade of Stars for the MMFF Summer Edition will be held on April 1, while the Awards Night will take place on April 11.

Award-winning actress Laurice Guillen, who head the 2022 MMFF jury, said that this is the best time to launch a summer film festival.

“As mentioned earlier, two years ago pa dapat ito ginawa pero inabutan nga ng pandemic. But we fell that the people are ready to go back to the theaters now as proven by the success of the MMFF 2022. Yung summer festival is the time na naka-break talaga and halos lahat ng kabataan nasa bakasyon. So it’s really a time for celebration. At the same time walang ibang foreign films na kalaban. So we really need to jumpstart again our local movies. Kailangan natin ang mga ganun para bumalik sa dating sigla ang film industry.”

(As mentioned earlier, it should have been done two years ago but the pandemic overtook it. But we felt that the people are ready to go back to the theaters now as proven by the success of the MMFF 2022. The summer festival is the time when almost all the young people are on vacation. So it’s really a time for celebration. Also, there are no other foreign films to compete with. So we really need to jumpstart again our local movies. We need those to return to the film industry that used to be vibrant.)

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On some sectors that questioned the results of the MMFF 2022 Gabi ng Parangral, Guillen said: “Iba-iba ang perspective ng the jury. Pero kahit na galing kami sa iba’t ibang perspective, meron naman kaming napagkasunduan. I can say that then choices were collegial. Hindi lahat ng choices ko ang nanalo. We had a general agreement after discussions. So based on that, any of those films could have won. Lahat ng jurors nag-attend ng deliberations and then bawa’t isa nagkaroon ng pagkakataon na sabihin kung ano ang tingin niya sa pelikula.”

(The perspective of the jury was different. But even though we came from different perspectives, we agreed on something. I can say that the choices were collegial. Not all of my choices won. We had a general agreement after discussions. So based on that, any of those films could have won. All the jurors attended the deliberations and then everyone had a chance to say what they thought of the film.)

Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and Metro Manila Film Festival Over-all Chairman Atty. Romando Artes (MMDA Facebook)

Artes also said that films which failed to enter the top 8 of the 2022 MMFF may still qualify for the summer film fest.

The schedule of activities for the MMFF Summer Edition:

Deadline for submission of finished film and other required documents – Not later than 5 pm of Jan. 31, 2023 (early bird) and Feb. 17, 2023 (Friday).

Screening of the Selection Committee – Feb. 17-23, 2023 

Announcement of the eight official entries – Feb. 24, 2023 (Friday)

For official entries:

Submission of P300,000 bond and official trailer – March 16, 2023 (Thursday)

Submission of certificate from cinema that the required movie trailers have been submitted – March 16, 2023 (Thursday)

Board of jurors screening of the finished products – March 17-24, 2023

Submission of certification that DCP films for theaters are available – April 3, 2023 (Monday)

Parade of Stars – April 1, 2023 (Saturday)

Showing of official entries in all MM theaters and participating provincial theaters – April 8 (Black Saturday – 18 (Tuesday) 2023

Awards Night – April 11, 2023 (Tuesday)

* Success

Also, the MMFF officially announced that it has reached its P500-million target gross sales.

“We are delighted to announce that we were able to reach our target gross sales amounting to ₱500-million considering that we are still recovering from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Indeed, the 2022 MMFF is a certified box-office hit,” said Artes, during a press conference at the MMDA headquarters in Makati City.

With the theme “Balik Saya,” all the eight films were shown in cinemas nationwide from Dec. 25, 2022 up to January 7, 2023, and now being extended until Jan. 13, 2023.

Artes also mentioned the Top 4 MMFF 2022 official entries, based on the gross sales receipts, in alphabetical order, which are the following: Deleter, Family Matters, Labyu with an Accent, and Partners in Crime.

“Rest assured that the MMFF will exert all efforts by encouraging our stakeholders, especially the local entertainment industry, to create quality films. I urge each and every one of you to patronize Filipino films,” Artes said.

The 2022 MMFF Parade of Stars, which featured the floats of the eight ( entries carrying the celebrities of the film festival’s official entries, was held on Dec. 21, 2022, hosted by the local government of Quezon City.

The 2022 MMFF Awards Night, which was held on Dec. 27, 2022 at the New Frontier Theater in Quezon City, was likewise successfully conducted.

Boots Anson Roa-Rodrigo, chairman of the Movie Workers Welfare Foundation, Inc. (MOWELFUND), thanked the MMDA for its full support to the film institute.

“We are thankful for the MMFF which supports the MOWELFUND as one of its beneficiaries,” said Roa Rodrigo.

Artes also said that the MMFF will assist the thriller flick “Deleter” as it participates in an international festival soon. “We will support the winner of best picture in their chosen international film festival.”

“Deleter,” starring Nadine Lustre, was the big winner at the 2022 MMFF Awards Night in December, receiving seven trophies, including best picture, best actress and best director.

Peso nears P54:$1; PSEi rebounds

By Ed Paolo Salting  and Eireene Jairee Gomez

THE peso neared the P54:$1 mark on Monday while the stock market also rebounded to post a strong start to the week.

The currency gained 53 centavos to close at P55.11 to the US dollar, gaining for a third straight trading day.

The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi), meanwhile, recovered from Friday's 1.38-percent drop by gaining 122.27 points, or 1.83 percent, for a 6,790.24 close.

The broader All Shares followed with a 55.90-point, or 1.59-percent rise, to 3,568.97.

Rastine Mercado, China Bank Securities head of research, said positive sentiment abroad had spilled over to local markets.

"Optimism continued to run high given expectations of a slowdown in rate hikes from the US Fed and an improving outlook for China and Asia," Mercado said.

"The market is now within striking distance of the 6,800-6,850 resistance, which coincides with the threshold for bull market territory (20 percent up from recent lows of around 5,700 in early October 2022)."

Philstocks Financial Inc. research associate Claire Alviar, meanwhile, said, "Investors in the US reacted positively after the US non-manufacturing PMI (purchasing managers' index) contracted, tempering rate hikes expectation this year."

Locally, "foreigners also helped lift the market as it registered a net inflow of P283.83 million."

LIST: Miss Universe 2022 Top 20 prediction

Earl D.C. Bracamonte - Philstar.com

Among the ladies predicted to enter the Miss Universe 2022 Top 20 are (from left) Ashley Cariño (Puerto Rico), Celeste Cortesi (Philippines) and María Fernanda Aristizabal (Colombia). The Miss Universe 2022 coronation night will be held on January 14 (January 15 Manila time) in New Orleans, Louisiana.

MANILA, Philippines — On January 14 (January 15, Manila time), the 71st Miss Universe titleholder will be proclaimed through a live telecast from the Ernest N. Moral Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. The new winner, a "transformational woman," will wear Mouawad's new Force for Good crown.

With the Miss Universe Organization (MUO) under a new ownership, the new queen's reign includes the unveiling of the soon-to-be launched Miss Universe bottled water (priced at 12 baht) in Thailand. This only means that she will not only be a champion from the pageant, but also an influential face for the new MUO's universal campaigns.

So, it's quite difficult to determine in which mold the new winner should come from. Will she have the presence of the titleholders from the Catalina swimwear years? Will she be like those from the Trump era? Or will she be more like the queens from the IMG era? The answer remains to be seen.

Even with those considerations, frontrunners and dark horses have their sights on winning the elusive crown. The USA is working on its ninth, Venezuela on its eighth, Puerto Rico on its sixth, and the Philippines on its fifth.

At this point, it's still everybody's game. Join us in a little guessing game by whittling down the 84 entrants — yes, Miss Kazakhstan Diana Tashimbetova has pulled out of the race — to the semifinal round of lucky Top 20 placers.

Here are the countries we strongly feel have a chance to make it to the semifinal round. We present them in alphabetical order. They are:

- Monique Riley (Australia)

- Mia Mamede (Brazil)

- Maria Fernanda Aristizabal (Colombia)

- Floriane Bascou (France)

- Ivana Batchelor (Guatemala)

- Divita Rai (India)

- Virginia Stablum (Italy)

- Laksmi De-Neefe Suardana (Indonesia)

- Hannah Iribhogbe (Nigeria)

- Alessia Rovegno (Peru)

- Celeste Rabimbi Cortesi (Philippines)

- Telma Madeira (Portugal)

- Ashley Cariño (Puerto Rico)

- Ndavi Nokeri (South Africa)

- Alicia Faubel (Spain)

- Anna Sueangam-iam (Thailand)

- Viktoria Apanasenko (Ukraine)

- R'bonney Gabriel (USA)

- Amanda Dudamel (Venezuela)

- Nguyen Thi Ngoc Chau (Vietnam)

There's one other candidate we hope would get well from her COVID-19 confinement, Gabriela dos Santos of Curacao. Should she make it to the preliminaries, we feel that, like last year's Clemence Botino of France, she'll have a strong chance of making it to the semifinal round.

This list, however, may stay the same or vary slightly after the preliminaries. A lot can happen by then.

The Miss Universe 2022 preliminary competition is slated to unfold on January 11 (January 12 in the Philippines), while the National Costume presentation happens the following day. Stay tuned!

LIST: Concerts in the Philippines this 2023

Kristofer Purnell - Philstar.com

Clockwise from top left: Blackpink, Carly Rae Jepsen, The 1975 and Harry Styles

MANILA, Philippines — A new year brings a new set of 12 months full of opportunities, and with many artists flocking back to the Philippines to engage with Filipino fans, the concert scene is getting back to its brightest.

Last year saw the gradual return of several artists, bands and groups — some returning, others for the first time and a number of them visiting the country twice in a year — and the stage is set for more arrivals in 2023.

Check out the upcoming international music acts performing in the Philippines in 2023:

Wavy Baby Music Festival (Marreco Lot, Mandaue City, Cebu) - Jan. 13 to 14

The Wave Baby Music Festival in Cebu is headed by James Reid's Careless label where several of its artists will be performing.

Invited to headline the festival are R&B singers Pink Sweats and Destiny Rogers, Korean artists Sunmi and The Rose, Thai rapper Bambam, pop singer JVKE and electronic acts Bag Raiders and Yultron.

Additionally, The Rose will also have a comeback concert on Jan. 14 at the SM North Edsa Skydome.

ITZY (Mall of Asia Arena) - Jan. 14

The rising K-pop girl group will perform back-to-back nights in Manila as part of their "Checkmate World Tour."

AOMG (New Frontier Theater) - Jan. 15

The "Follow The Movement: AOMG World Tour" brings to the Philippines K-pop hip-hop artists Simon Dominic, Loco, Gray, Leehi, Yugyeom and Woo for a special night at the New Frontier Theater.

Ne-Yo (Araneta Coliseum) - Jan. 23

Award-winning R&B singer Ne-Yo returns to Manila with back-to-back sets at the Araneta Coliseum to perform some of his greatest hits.

Enhyphen (Mall of Asia Arena) - Feb. 3 to 5

The young K-pop boy group are coming back to the Philippines for a proper concert that isn't just one night but three at the Mall of Asia Arena as part of their "Manifesto" world tour.

Boyce Avenue (Araneta Coliseum, Waterfront Hotel & Casino, SMX Convention Center Davao) - Feb. 11, 12, 14

A Valentines concert awaits for Filipinos in Manila, Cebu and Davao as cover band Boyce Avenue returns to Manila to deliver all the necessary feels, with the help of local artists The Juans (only for the Manila concert), Adie and Nobita.

Mamamoo (Araneta Coliseum) - Feb. 12

Also hyping up emotions on a different spectrum is K-pop group Mamamoo as it makes its debut visit to the Philippines for the Asian leg of their ongoing world tour.

Wallows (New Frontier Theater) - Feb. 15

Alternative-rock band Wallows will begin their "Tell Me That It’s Over Asia Tour 2023" in Manila, performing songs from their three extended plays and two albums, the latest one lending its name to the tour.

The Vamps (Mall of Asia Arena) - Feb. 17

The British pop-rock band will be performing in the Philippines for the fifth time this February as part of their "Greatest Hits Tour." Their last visit was in 2017. 

Conan Gray (Mall of Asia Arena) - Feb. 18

Young singer Conan Gray has included the Philippines, his first visit to the country, in the Asian leg of his "Superache" tour.

PLUS63 Festival (SM Seaside Complex Cebu) - Feb. 18

This music and arts festival is making a grand comeback after two years with headliners such as Joji and Kehlani, the former recently visited the country last month for Head in the Clouds Manila.

Backstreet Boys (Mall of Asia Arena) - Feb. 20

Get ready to throw back the years as the Backstreet Boys returns to the country. The boys included the Philippines in the 2023 Asian leg of their "DNA World Tour," the 2019 edition of which was their last time in Manila.

Westlife (Araneta Coliseum) - Feb. 20 to 21

In true boy group rivalry fashion, Westlife will also be performing in Manila on the same day (plus one extra concert the next day) for their "Wild Dreams" tour to perform "all the hits."

OneRepublic (Araneta Coliseum) - Feb. 23

Manila will be the first Asian stop of OneRepublic's "Live in Concert" tour, almost seven years since the group last performed in the Philippines.

Wanderland (Filinvest City Events Grounds) - March 4 to 5

Perhaps the biggest music festival in the Philippines, Wanderland is making a grand comeback with headliners Carly Rae Jepsen and Phoenix, and supporting acts Sunset Rollercoaster, Men I Trust, No Rome, Stephen Day, Balming Tiger, George and Leo Wang.

Arctic Monkeys (Filinvest City Events Grounds) - March 6

A somewhat extension of the Wanderland Music & Arts Festival is a concert by British rock band Arctic Monkeys the very next day in what will be their first-ever Philippine show.

Simple Plan (New Frontier Theater, SMX Convention Center Davao) - March 10, 12

Bringing the rock vibes to Manila and Davao this March are Simple Plan for their "The Harder Than It Looks" tour.

Stray Kids (Mall of Asia Arena) - March 11 to 12

K-pop group Stray Kids have included Manila in their second world tour. The group initially had to cancel their supposed second visit back in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Harry Styles (Philippine Arena) - March 14

"Come on Harry, we wanna say good night to you!" Harry Styles will be returning to the Philippines for a third time, his second as a soloist, this March for his "Love on Tour."

Bryan Adams (Araneta Coliseum) - March 15

Also making a Philippine comeback is award-winning singer-songwriter Bryan Adams as part of the Asian leg of his “So Happy It Hurts" tour.

Sting (The Theatre at Solaire) - March 17 to 18

Just as big a return awaits Sting, the former lead singer of English rock band The Police, after more than a decade who will bring his "My Songs" tour to Manila with his eldest son Joe Sumner as a special guest.

Blackpink (Philippine Arena) - March 25 to 26

In what is primed to be the biggest concert of 2023 in the Philippines so far, K-pop girl group Blackpink is returning this time for their "Born Pink" world tour.

The 1975 (Mall of Asia Arena) - May 3 to 4

English pop-rock band The 1975 are certain to remind Filipinos once again of heartbreak, longing and love when they come back this May for their "At Their Very Best" Asia tour.

Oil prices down this week

Richmond Mercurio - The Philippine Star 

Rino Abad, Department of Energy’s oil industry management bureau director, said chances are high for a rollback in the prices of gasoline, diesel and kerosene this week based on the first four trading days of the week.

MANILA, Philippines — Pump prices are seen going down this week, with a hefty rollback possibly in store for diesel and kerosene.

He estimates a price reduction of not more than P0.50 per liter for gasoline and a decrease of around P1.50 per liter for both diesel and kerosene.

“There is a trend that demand is going down in the first quarter,” Abad said in an interview with dzBB yesterday.

“If China does not control its COVID cases for the next two months, then chances that prices will further go down become higher. So it depends on how fast China can recover,” he added.

Cleanfuel, for its part, said the running trend as of Jan. 5 showed a possible reduction of P0.50 per liter in gasoline prices and a decrease of P2.20 per liter for diesel.

The final price adjustments will be announced by oil companies on Monday and will take effect the day after.

Should the forecast rollbacks push through, it will end the three straight weeks of increases for gasoline and kerosene, while also preventing two consecutive weeks of price hike for diesel.

Noli de Castro returns to ‘TV Patrol’ starting on Jan. 9

by Manila Bulletin Entertainment

Noli de Castro

Veteran broadcast journalist Noli de Castro will mark his comeback as news anchor of TV Patrol starting on Jan. 9.

Noli will be anchoring live from the Quirino Grandstand for the latest news and updates on the celebration of the ‘Nazareno 2023’.

“Magkita-kita tayo sa Lunes. Live ho ako sa Quirino Grandstand para sa TV Patrol,” Noli said in his TeleRadyo program “Kabayan” today (Jan. 6). 

Noli will join TV Patrol anchors Henry Omaga-Diaz, Karen Davila and Bernadette Sembrano in delivering the news to Filipinos anywhere in the world. He will also continue hosting his public service show “Kabayan” and the morning newscast “TeleRadyo Balita” with Joyce Balancio on TeleRadyo.

“TV Patrol” airs on weekdays at 6:30 pm while “TV Patrol Weekend” airs on weekends at 6 pm with Alvin Elchico and Zen Hernandez. It is available on A2Z, Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live, iWantTFC, youtube.com/ABSCBNNews, news.abs-cbn.com/live, and other ABS-CBN News digital platforms.

 

Reasons to be optimistic about our economic outlook this year

Published January 9, 2023, 12:05 AM

by Manila Bulletin

The year 2023 has been acknowledged by the International Monetary Fund as a year of global economic recession that would hit one-third of the world’s economy.

The economic difficulties have been brought about by Russia’s war in Ukraine, causing oil prices to rise to historic levels, disrupting global supply chains, causing currency fluctuations and the ensuing wild inflation in all economies. The world is in disarray.

Latest data, however, seemed to smoothen the soothsayers’ dim predictions. If we are to believe our own economic data indicators, we are in for a relatively smooth ride this year. 

Consider some of the recently released data. According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the inflation rate in December rose by 8.1 percent on annual basis from 8.0 percent the previous month.

Although it is the highest in 14 years, it is lower than the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) target band that inflation in December could peak at 7.8 to 8.6 percent. The 8.1 percent inflation in December also brought the actual full-year average at 5.8 percent, which is also on point with BSP’s previously announced 2022 average forecast of 5.8 percent.

The BSP, whose policy is anchored on inflation targeting, said that the latest 8.1 percent inflation is consistent with its assessment of elevated inflation that will hit its high in December before slowing down in 2023. This means the pace of growth in prices of goods is decelerating. For 2023, the BSP forecasts inflation at 4.5 percent, still above the 2-4 percent target. By 2024, the forecast is 2.8 percent.

Another positive economic indicator is what the PSA reported on Friday, Jan. 6, that the level of unemployment in the country dropped to 4.2 percent last November from 6.5 percent in the same month a year ago. It is also down from 4.5 percent in October. 

The latest jobless rate was also the lowest since April 2005. Accordingly, the employment rate increased to 95.8 percent, or an additional 4.2 million persons getting jobs. This brings the total employment to 49.7 million.

On the foreign exchange side, the central bank is doing a good job in stabilizing the wild swings that we’ve seen in the peso sometime in September last year. So far, the peso is holding up. The local currency remains in the P55-level against the greenback, a wide distance from the P68-level projection of a not-so responsible economist.

Finance Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno has declared the “worst is over” and there are many reasons to be optimistic this year. The pandemic, though still a threat, is actually now behind us with readily available vaccines.

Despite the country’s mounting debt burden, the world’s major credit rating agencies such as Moody’s, S&P, and Fitch have maintained the Philippines’ investment grade credit ratings.

The Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) forecasts that the domestic economy will grow by 6-7 percent this year. This is still one of the highest, if not the highest, growth rates among peers in the region.

The budget for 2023 was approved in time, meaning there will be no disruptions in the release of funds for major infrastructure projects and government services. 

All these are silver linings in our recovery efforts.