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HOW COULD SMALL SCALE FARMERS MAKE USE OF SOLAR POWERED MINI RICE MILLS?

HOW COULD SMALL SCALE FARMERS MAKE USE OF SOLAR POWERED MINI RICE MILLS? It’s the same story repeated across many rice-growing communities: poor farmers keep planting rice, harvesting rice, and selling rice—but they remain poor generation after generation. The problem is not laziness. Rice farmers work extremely hard to produce the valuable grain called palay . The real problem is that they remain stuck at the lowest end of the value chain. They sell raw palay at low farm-gate prices, while traders and millers make larger profits by turning that palay into milled rice. In short, farmers are producers but not processors. Fortunately, technology is now making it possible for them to move up the value chain. For decades, rice milling required gigantic machines installed in large factory-type buildings. These mills were expensive, power-hungry, and far beyond the reach of small farmers. Because of that, farmers had no choice but to transport their harvest to commercial millers or sell it c...
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HOW TO IMPROVE THE ENTERPRISE-BASED EDUCATION AND TRAINING FRAMEWORK

HOW TO IMPROVE THE ENTERPRISE-BASED EDUCATION AND TRAINING FRAMEWORK The Enterprise-Based Education and Training (EBET) framework of the Philippines, implemented under Republic Act No. 12063, is one of the most promising reforms in our technical-vocational education system. Administered primarily by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), the program aims to bring training directly into the workplace so that workers learn the exact skills that industries actually need. The philosophy is simple: “training to trabaho.” If students learn inside factories, offices, farms, or construction sites, they are more likely to get hired immediately after training. On paper, EBET looks excellent. In fact, historical data suggests that graduates of enterprise-based programs enjoy employment rates of around 80 to 85 percent, much higher than traditional school-based technical training. That alone should convince us that the concept is correct. However, if the concept is good...
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ARE GRAB DRIVERS EMPLOYEES OR INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS?

  A RE GRAB DRIVERS EMPLOYEES OR INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS? The question of whether Grab drivers are employees or independent contractors is becoming one of the most important labor issues in the modern “gig economy.” In the Philippines, the answer remains a legal gray area. I am not yet ready to take a firm position on this matter. Like many observers, I am still waiting for clearer laws and more definitive court rulings before making up my mind. On one hand, becoming employees could benefit Grab drivers. If they are formally classified as employees, they would automatically become members of government social protection systems such as the Social Security System (SSS), PhilHealth, and Pag-IBIG. That means they could receive benefits like health insurance, retirement pensions, and housing loans. Of course, they would also have to pay their own contributions, but the long-term security might be worth it. On the other hand, formal employment might also impose stricter requirements. Dr...
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LET’S CONTINUE WITH THE TRADITION OF WELCOMING FOREIGN REFUGEES

LET’S CONTINUE WITH THE TRADITION OF WELCOMING FOREIGN REFUGEES Filipinos should be proud of one little-known part of our national history: we have a long tradition of welcoming refugees from other countries. At different points in history, the Philippines opened its doors to people fleeing persecution and war. In the 1920s, we hosted the so-called “White Russians” who escaped the Russian Revolution. During World War II, we accepted Jewish refugees who were fleeing Nazi persecution in Europe. Later, in the 1970s and 1980s, we welcomed more than 400,000 Vietnamese “boat people” who were escaping the aftermath of the Vietnam War. Those refugees were temporarily sheltered in places like the Philippine Refugee Processing Center in Bataan before resettling in other countries. That humanitarian tradition is something we should never forget. Today, the world is facing another refugee crisis involving the Rohingya people from Rakhine State in Myanmar. Many of them have fled violence and persec...
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CAN WE HAVE A GOVERNMENT THAT IS OPEN TWENTY-FOUR HOURS?

CAN WE HAVE A GOVERNMENT THAT IS OPEN TWENTY -FOUR HOURS? Many people are asking a simple but interesting question: can we have a government that is open twenty-four hours a day? In one sense, the answer is yes. In another sense, the answer is not yet. Traditionally, government offices operate like ordinary offices. They open in the morning and close in the afternoon. Recently, the government of the Philippines even experimented with a temporary four-day onsite work week in March 2026 in order to save on electricity and transportation costs. However, we are already living in an era where government services can theoretically operate 24 hours a day—not through physical offices, but through digital systems. Some government agencies already have call centers that operate around the clock. That is certainly a step forward. Unfortunately, there is still a limitation. Many call center agents eventually tell their callers to visit the nearest branch in person because the transaction requires ...
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WHAT IS DIGITAL EQUALITY?

WHAT IS DIGITAL EQUALITY? In simple terms, digital equality means that every person—rich or poor, urban or rural, able-bodied or disabled—should have the same opportunity to access and benefit from digital technology. It is closely related to what experts call the “digital divide,” which refers to the gap between those who have access to technology and those who do not. If the digital divide is the problem, digital equality is the solution. But what does digital equality mean in practical terms, especially when it comes to internet access? To me, the internet should already be considered a public utility, just like water, electricity, telephony, and even public transport. These services are essential for modern life, but they are not free. We pay for electricity. We pay for water. We pay for transportation. Therefore, it is perfectly reasonable that we also pay for internet access. The key principle for any public utility, however, is affordability. This raises an important question: I...
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HOW COULD THE PHILIPPINES PRODUCE MORE NURSING GRADUATES?

HOW COULD THE PHILIPPINES PRODUCE MORE NURSING GRADUATES? The Philippines has long been known as the world’s leading producer of nurses. Ironically, however, we are now facing a serious shortage of nurses within our own healthcare system. According to the Department of Health Philippines and the Second Congressional Commission on Education, the country is currently short of almost 200,000 nurses, and the gap could reach 250,000 by 2030 if current trends continue. At the same time, around 27,000 to 30,000 healthcare workers leave the country every year, many of them nurses seeking better pay and working conditions abroad. This situation may sound like a crisis, but I prefer to look at it as an opportunity. Filipino nurses are in global demand because they are well-trained, compassionate, and adaptable. The challenge is not the lack of demand. The challenge is how we can produce more nursing graduates and keep enough of them in the country. As of 2026, the Commission on Higher Education ...
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