The Family Tree That Keeps Fascinating Me
By Karl M. Garcia I have always been awed and fascinated by my maternal family tree. Not because I think a family becomes important simply because it contains famous names. Rather, I find it fascinating to discover how many different lives, professions, personalities and stories can grow from the same ancestral roots. My mother’s name … Continue reading
Problem Solving the Philippines: How the National Budget Is Managed
Part 3 of The Budget Series: what happens after the budget is signed, from allotments and cash allocations to the Unified Reporting System that tracks them.
When Migrants Come Home: Turning OFW Migration into Community Development
By Karl M. Garcia The Philippines and Indonesia have something important in common: millions of families have built their lives around migration. For the Philippines, overseas Filipino workers are a defining part of the economy and society. Remittances support household consumption, education, housing, health care and small businesses. But migration also creates costs that are … Continue reading
From Shopping Center to Urban Infrastructure: What Mall 5.0 Must Mean for the Philippines
By Karl M. Garcia The Philippine mall has outgrown its original purpose. It began as a place to shop, eat, watch movies, and escape the heat. It evolved into a family destination, a commercial anchor, and a gathering place in cities where public spaces are often limited or poorly maintained. Today, it is increasingly a … Continue reading
Problem Solving the Philippines: How the National Expenditure Program Is Generated
Part 2 of The Budget Series: how the President’s proposed budget is built, from the DBCC’s ceiling down to each agency’s Tier 1 and Tier 2 requests.