Being unfair is the secret to success

Analysis and Opinion By Joe America Unfortunately, fairness in some cases doesn’t work well. It gives the disadvantaged reason to wail and weep rather than build, and it is a sure path to mediocrity. Fairness assures failure when applied to negate the 80/20 principle. The 80/20 principle says 20% of your people will produce 80% … Continue reading

Policy Making is Hard (PhilHealth Edition)

By Giancarlo Angulo Note: wrote this Aug 5 so I wasnt able to incorporate what is written in this piece: https://www.philstar.com/opinion/2024/08/12/2377262/awash-unused-funds Here’s your text with grammar and clarity improvements: Policy Making is Hard (PhilHealth Edition) The goal of society is to move things forward—understand, explain, and communicate for a better Philippines. One way to achieve … Continue reading

Is the Pink flame out? Or is it eternal?

Analysis and Opinion By Joe America The Leni Robredo Pink campaign in 2020 was awesome. It did everything but win. It was a volunteer effort. Honorable, bright, loud, inspiring. Was it just a flash in the pan? Is it still here? Is it for Leni Robredo alone or does it have lasting power if she … Continue reading

VAT on Philippine digital services? Lotsa luck!

Analysis and Opinion By Joe America I was curious about the forthcoming VAT on digital services. I used the Senate’s third reading of their bill for reference, which is available in PDF format: S. No. 2528 There are exclusions for education and banking services. The tax applies to domestic and foreign distributors of digital products … Continue reading

Caloocan, sliced and diced

Analysis and Opinion By Joe America The City of Caloocan has been sliced and diced by history and politics. It is an urban legend, historically, and now has two different geographical areas, one that is north of Manila, and a larger one north of Quezon City. Both are thick with businesses and homes, the latter … Continue reading