Maniolas

ILOILO CITY — Consumers here will be experiencing a continued drop in electricity rates over the next three years as distributor Panay Electric Co., Inc. (PECO) fields competitive offers from multiple power generating companies.

The Filipino taxpayer carries a heavy burden in terms of tax obligations and compliance. We are encouraged to support the tax collection efforts of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) through its Register File and Pay campaign. However, given the prevailing poverty of the vast majority of the population, inadequate access to public health care, questionable deals and disbursements within and by the government, and delays in much-needed infrastructure projects, it would appear that taxpayers — Filipino and foreign alike — are not too keen on supporting the BIR.

THE administration’s “Daang Matuwid” philosophy, with its focus on minimizing corruption in government, needs to be pushed in a more compassionate and equitable direction to ensure its sustainability beyond President Benigno S. C. Aquino III’s term, an Ateneo de Manila economist said.

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in Region 10 is planning to build a P244-million dike on the Iponan river in Northern Mindanao to complement a P5-billion dike being built for the Cagayan River.