Our leaders get excited at every Official Development Assistance (ODA) projects offered by friendly governments to our country.

The problem with grabbing ODAs

Because of fragmentation, duplicity and vague policies on water management, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) is pushing for a Department of Water Resources and a Water Regulatory Commission to integrate the regulation and governance of water resources and achieve water security.


NEDA pushes for Department of Water Resources

Meat imports for the first four months (until April) leapt by 11.3 percent, or 397 million kilograms of meat, as importers are anticipating higher global prices, a weaker peso and lower hog production due to El Nino.

Higher meat imports

Mas maayos na biyahe mula Laguna province papuntang Metro Manila.

Dagdag na road interchanges sa LLRN 

It doesn’t take an economist to explain that lower import duties don’t necessarily translate to lower local retail prices, particularly of rice, which the Marcos administration is desperate to control to manage inflation and spur GDP (gross domestic product) growth.

Lower tariffs don’t reduce prices

P21 per meal is "not enough" to maintain a healthy diet, an official from the National Nutrition Council (NNC) asserted Wednesday, August 14.

NNC: P21 'not enough' for healthy diet

In an ideal world, reducing tariffs on imported rice– especially when faced with a short supply because of natural disasters— would ensure a buffer stock that could help ensure ample supply for the market.

Debunking the tariff reduction myth

As food inflation rates hit 6.5% last July

Food inflation inched up slight last June from 6.5 percent to 6.7 percent owing to higher prices of meat (4.8 percent from 3.1 percent); corn (17.5 percent from 13.1 percent); fruits (8.4 percent from 5.6 percent); eggs and dairy products (1.8 percent from 1.3 percent) and ready-made food products (6 percent from 5.9 percent) even as fish and sugar had softer deflation or decreased prices.

Gov't trying to address food security

The panic (and fear) about uncontrollable inflation and its short term impact on the country’s  economic performance led to an ill-planned, myopic regulation in Executive Order 62 – which reduced import tariffs on rice and other basic food items from 35 to 15 from July 2024 to 2028.

Regulation on import tariffs 'ill-planned'

With the expected increase in the intensity of weather disturbances in the future, authorities in Laguna province now say that permanent relocation may be the only solution for communities near the shoreline of Laguna de Bay.


NEDA

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Relocation looms for shoreland residents