Maniolas

In a report, Economic Planning Secretary and NEDA chief Emmanuel Esguerra said inflation – the measure of how fast prices in the choice basket of goods and services are moving within a certain period – eased to 1.3 percent in January from 1.5 percent in December 2015 and 2.4 percent a year earlier. STAR/File photo MANILA, Philippines – The increase in prices of basic goods and services in the country slowed in January as costs of food items remained stable, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said yesterday. In a report, Economic Planning Secretary and NEDA chief Emmanuel Esguerra said inflation – the measure of how fast prices in the choice basket of goods and services are moving within a certain period – eased to 1.3 percent in January from 1.5 percent in December 2015 and 2.4 percent a year earlier. He said inflation for the food subgroup  – which account for more than a third of the basket – slowed as prices of fish, fruits, vegetables, milk, cheese, and eggs became stable. “Good weather conditions at the onset of 2016 allowed prices of these food items to stabilize. This was an improvement from the previous month when Typhoon Nona pushed up prices due to hampered production, transport, and delivery of agricultural products in the affected areas,” Esguerra added. The January inflation rate fell within the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas target of 0.8-1.6 percent for the period, and exactly in line with market consensus. Inflation in non-food items also Read More …

I have this suspicious feeling that I drive event organizers crazy. They are very polite and smile all the time, but the office tells me they have the tendency to freak out, most especially, just days before the event. They would ask me for my presentation material. But I do not give them anything because I do not want to. I have done this before. I would send my presentation in advance, then would find myself being confined and imprisoned within the contents of my slides and give a talk that frustrates me and makes me feel like I have not done my best. Most of my repeat clients know how I work. They give me the liberty to be extemporaneous, and I would leave the presentation materials to my daughter Rachel who is so intuitive and knows which slide to flash in front split seconds before I even say it. There is a reason for this. Much of what I talk about comes from sensing the audience. I would arrive at the place early, ask a few diagnostic questions, mark the territory and then do my thing. It is not unusual for me to change my material even when my Intro AVP is being shown. Rachel knows this and she can switch materials quickly as well. All these are because of one solid principle for presentation: The speaker should be audience-centered. The more the speaker knows the audience, the better the presentation will be. The worst thing a speaker Read More …

THE PHILIPPINES can take advantage of capital flows from aging Asian economies by opening up local industries such as manufacturing and agribusiness, an analyst said, which could further prop up foreign direct investment (FDI) and create more jobs.

A tax refund is one of the most tedious processes in our tax system, if not the most. Refunds are in the nature of tax exemptions construed strictly against the taxpayer. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that the taxpayer is at the mercy of government power. In our system of taxation, statutory procedures protect the rights of the taxpayer.