Pangan: Needed: More ST Scholars

TODAY, I would meet with some of the best and brightest students at the Philippine Science High School-Central Luzon campus at Clark. I would not be faulted if I'd be mortified, nay, petrified even in the company of S&T scholars. These budding scientists are much needed by the country, if only to make it globally competitive, yes, in the face of advancing and stiff competition.

Pangan: Billet-doux for freedom

Dear Juan Dela Cruz:

We celebrated last Wednesday our so-called traditional Independence Day celebration nationwide and in some parts of the world where this traditional event is observed.

Pangan: Make way for SMEs

WHILE there are proposals, studies and varied suggestions to invigorate SMEs-small and medium-sized enterprises, nothing much has been done to propagate these modest enterprises, foremost of which is the government.

Few approximate the innovative Brahmeen bank initiated by a civic conscious Indian trader, except perhaps CARD-MRI and a few cooperatives which identities are not well known.

Pangan: Transition

STAGNANT may be a kind word for local government units (LGUs) which have not seen improvements after the elections.

It is as if they are all in suspended animation, frozen by the euphoria of the last electoral exercise, just coasting along till the new set of new and reelected officials come in to show their wares and move on.

Pangan: Growth, Hardly

GOOD tidings come our way via investment upgrade and economy high rates but hardly do we feel their impact on our daily lives.

These good news may be contrasted to the rising poverty incidence affecting a great portion of the population, this, despite the apparent efforts being expended by our President and his team of economic and finance managers and other subalterns.

Pangan: Omniscient Poverty

THERE have been several bright ideas, proposals, suggestions, and approaches to curb, if not eradicate poverty in our society.

In his Philippine Daily Inquirer column, Mapping the Future, Jose Rene C. Gayo hinted that the way to eradicate poverty is by creating wealth "not by giving people dole-outs that simply breed mendicancy but by capacitating them to make a decent living".

Pangan: Synergy, energy

IF THE country wants to attract more investors, particularly foreigners, the Aquino administration "must redouble its efforts toward ensuring energy security," it was reported recently.

Pangan: Back to Work

IT'S normal work for most of us while those newly elected individuals are gearing for their respective elective positions come June 30 this year.

Everything is in tentative mode yet, but school habitues are now preparing materials, instructional aids, and other paraphernalia in time for school opening for 2013-2014. The K-12 program is being implemented in earnest, with the passage of its enabling law.

Pangan: Sanctions

THE minor indiscretion by some elements of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has caused significant discomfort to our national officials and costly inconvenience and uncertainty to our OFWs and businessmen, just because one single Taiwanese fisherman was reportedly accidentally shot by perhaps one agitated PCG member.

Taiwan, a tiny state shun by its big brother China, is overreacting over the death of its adventurous fisherman who was at the wrong place and at the wrong time.

Pangan: Welcome, the New Blood

POST-election analyses abound and political circles are abuzz with questions and conjectures regarding the recently-conducted electoral exercises.

In some areas though the results have not been completed, thanks to the defaulting technical gadgets which invariably conked out during the election day process, despite the assurances of their manufacturers that they (the machines) were in tip-top shape. Long live the machines. So much for automated elections. Anyway, to ensure the accuracy and credibility of the results, parallel manual count was put in place.