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Philippine Star  "State of the nation" Rodrigo Duterte has inherited an economy that is the second fastest growing in the region after China. A framework for peace in Mindanao is in place. Business confidence has been high for the past six years, buoyed by policies that were anchored on good governance.  Last Saturday night, President Duterte signed a landmark order, implementing freedom of information throughout the executive branch. He is expected to push his congressional allies to pass an FOI law to promote transparency in the other branches of government.  The challenges faced by the nation remain daunting. The income gap is a chasm and economic growth has not trickled down, with about 40 percent of Filipinos classified as poor. The lack of decent employment continues to fuel the migrant worker phenomenon, opening Filipinos to exploitation and human trafficking overseas.   [full text] Sun.Star Cebu  "Reviving “hablon”" HABLON sa Cebu” is a community’s ...

Apart from some visible walls, other invisible walls are being strengthened which tend to divide our continent. These walls are being built in people’s hearts. They are walls made of fear and aggression, a failure to understand people of different backgrounds or faith. They are walls of political and economic selfishness, without respect for the life and dignity of every person. From the video message Europe finds itself in a complex and highly mobile world, which is ever more globalised and therefore ever less Eurocentric.  If we are aware of these momentous issues, then we must have the courage to say: we need change! Europe is called to reflect and to ask itself whether its immense heritage, so permeated with Christianity, belongs in a museum or is still able to inspire culture and to offer its treasures to the whole of humankind.  You are meeting so as to look together at these challenges facing Europe and to highlight testimonies of life in society which enable netw...

Philippine Star  "Sustain the momentum" Nearly two weeks after election day, the 12 winners in the Senate race were proclaimed yesterday by the Commission on Elections. The proclamation crawled along like  a graduation ceremony, raising fears that 13th placer Francis Tolentino, former chairman of the Metro Manila Development Authority, would have enough time to stop  the proceedings with a court restraining order.  There was no TRO, however, and the Comelec completed the proclamation. At least one candidate groused about being cheated, but did not plan to file a formal protest.  Two groups have filed a complaint for electoral sabotage against officials of the Comelec, poll watchdog Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting and  automation service provider Smartmatic. The criminal complaint stemmed from Smartmatic’s change of the hash code of the transparency server used in the PPCRV’s  unofficial quick count for the national races.   [full ...