Thirty-two years ago, the First Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM I) established a trifocalized Philippine Educational and Training System (PETS) to ramp up achievement of the country's educational and training goals. EDCOM I sought to raise the system's performance by transforming...

While the Philippine education system is in the middle of profound changes with the passage of RA 10533 or the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013, the country was rudely awakened by the poor results in its maiden participation in the 2018 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA)...

When the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program was designed, the government publicly promised to limit to five years the giving of the education and health grants. This five-year limit is almost over for the first set of beneficiaries by 2013. The natural policy question then is: Would it be wise...

The Philippines is at a crossroad. It can choose to continue to follow current unrealistic policies that despite good intentions have been shown to be actually detrimental to the poor. Or, it can elect to try another development path to get a better chance at reducing poverty.This study proposes...

The Philippines is blessed with rich marine fishing grounds that are valuable sources of food and livelihood for the population. Unfortunately, over the years, these fishing grounds have become increasingly less productive, and many are in danger of depletion. At the heart of the problem is the...

Years of rapid and indiscriminate logging of Philippine forests, coupled with little reforestation, have led to more frequent, widespread, and damaging natural disasters, such as floods, landslides, and other environmental damages. With strong political will and noble intentions, President...

Sex-related risks, early sexual experience, and unwanted pregnancies are major concerns of Filipinos. These issues have long been battle grounds for the often rancorous debates about the provisions of the Reproductive Health (RH) Law. In December 2012, Congress approved a comprehensive RH Law...

It is commonly believed that mandating higher legal minimum wages (LMWs) is needed to help the poor earn a level of income that would allow them healthy and dignified lives. It is also seen as a tool to protect the weak against exploitation. This popular belief motivates and justifies the...

In the aftermath of the 2016 election, labor leaders and their political allies pushed for an immediate end to the so-called employment "contractualization", a policy proposal currently popular with voters and politicians. The idea is for the government to tighten and reduce, if not prohibit,...

The Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program has been much maligned and dismissed as a "dole-out" program. Critics have focused on the fact that it provides cash grants directly to poor families, believing it would promote the culture of mendicancy and dependence. Others believe that the grants would...