Sonny M. Angara
BusinessMirror
Philippines
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Past articles by Sonny:
Will same-sex marriage be legalized in PHL?
Various types of same-sex marriages have existed thousands of years ago. From Wikipedia: Same-sex unions were known in Ancient Greece and Rome, ancient Mesopotamia, in some regions of China, such as Fujian province, and at certain times in ancient European history. At least two of the Roman emperors were in same-sex unions. Emperor Nero was → Read More
A lasting friendship
Last week, our country, with representatives from the Kingdom of Spain led by the Spanish Ambassador to the Philippines H.E. Jorge Moragas Sanchez, physically gathered in Baler, Aurora to celebrate the 20th Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day and the 123rd Anniversary of the Historic Siege of Baler. This celebration, which commemorates the… → Read More
Marcos vows to focus on food sufficiency
"When America sneezes, the world catches a cold.” This phrase is often used to explain that what happens in the US affects the rest of the world. The prognosis is bad: US Inflation surged to 8.6 percent in May, a 40-year high, as the global supply chain crisis and the… → Read More
Political will
With just a few days left before the new administration formally takes over, one of the topics that has remained abuzz throughout public discussions and social media chatter is about the incoming cabinet of President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. While several well-respected, competent individuals have already been named, many positions… → Read More
Rebooting PHL-China diplomatic relations
The Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (FFCCCII) organized a joint virtual event on Wednesday to celebrate in advance the 124th Philippine Independence Day (June 12) and the 21st Filipino-Chinese Friendship Day (June 9). Outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte and incoming President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. graced the… → Read More
Navigating towards a digital world
The 18th Congress recently concluded its work. And despite the pandemic, we can say that a lot has been accomplished across three very tumultuous years. As Chairman of the Committee on Finance, we ensured that the budget was enacted on time. More importantly, in response to Covid-19, we increased funding for… → Read More
Investigating SSS’s ₧843.9-B ‘net loss’
The Social Security System is a state-run social insurance agency that extends social security protection to Filipino workers in the private and informal sectors. Under the Social Security Act of 2018, the pension fund provides seven benefit programs: Sickness, maternity, unemployment, retirement, disability, death, and funeral benefits. Members can also… → Read More
Sustaining Team Philippines’ momentum
The 31st Southeast Asian Games held in Hanoi, Vietnam recently concluded with the Philippines almost securing a podium finish. We ranked fourth in the overall tally with 226 medals in total, behind host Vietnam (first), Thailand (second), and Indonesia (third). While this outing is three spots below and 161 medals… → Read More
Interactive games: Key to prosperity?
Ralph Henry Baer, widely acknowledged as “the Father of Video Games,” is the son of a Jewish shoe factory worker in Germany. In 1938, the Baer family fled from Hitler and immigrated to the Bronx in New York where he gained an interest in electronics. Baer was working as an… → Read More
Continuity in our economic policy
Elections, given that they mark transitions in our society, do often trigger periods of soul-searching and reflection. They can also be very emotional affairs, not least because the prospect of new political leaders taking the helm can elicit either anticipation or anxiety. So in the weeks following the recent elections,… → Read More
The writing is on the global wall
IF you are closely following economic and political developments in the world, you won’t miss the signs that the global situation is going to worsen before it gets better. The war in Ukraine is not going to end soon, so expect food and fuel crises to worsen. Sharply rising commodity… → Read More
Moving forward, together
When my late father, former Senator Edgardo J. Angara, retired from public service in 2013, he said something worth remembering during these times: “Good politics is also marked by close collaboration between the branches of government.” He was talking about his time as Senate President under the Ramos administration, where he challenged… → Read More
Urgent need to revise the party-list system
The 1987 Constitution created the party-list system for underrepresented community sectors, including labor, peasant, urban poor, indigenous, women, youth, and other such groups as may be defined by law (except the religious sector). However, a 2013 Supreme Court decision clarified that the party-list is a system of proportional representation open… → Read More
Enhancing our pandemic resilience
Earlier this year, we filed Senate Resolution 974 calling for an inquiry on the state of health financing in the country to determine needed legislation for strengthening our health-care system. While Congress was on recess for the national campaign, our office conducted numerous consultative meetings with government agencies, private sector… → Read More
World Happiness Report 2022
IN 2011, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution calling on member states to undertake steps that give more importance to people’s happiness and well being in determining how to achieve and measure social and economic development. The resolution was mainly introduced by the Kingdom of Bhutan that has… → Read More
How to have more Pinoy centenarians
Although life expectancy varies in all countries, the World Health Organization said the average worldwide life expectancy amounts to 72 years. The European region has the highest average life expectancy at 77.5 years, while the region with the lowest average life expectancy is the African region, at 61 years. Poverty… → Read More
The search for alternative energy sources
IN March, Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) cautioned that the surge in crude oil prices globally could lead to an increase in the generation charge. In fact, just this month, the distributor already announced an increase in the per kilowatt-hour (kWh) charge. Surely, this has since resulted in consumers scrambling to… → Read More
Women empowerment in the Philippines
The Global Gender Gap Report of the World Economic Forum (WEF) has long been a barometer for how well a country or an economy upholds equality between men and women—particularly in terms of economic participation and opportunity; educational attainment; health and survival; and political empowerment. From the time the report… → Read More
Face-to-face classes are better for learners
Zoom meetings became so popular during the pandemic, thanks to the lockdowns and social distancing mandates. After a while, though, the video calls became exhausting. That’s because doing a Zoom meeting requires more mental processing than face-to-face interactions, according to experts. Then we started hearing about this new “disease,” called Zoom fatigue, which… → Read More
The sound of silence in Southeast Asia
Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized the independence of separatist-held regions in eastern Ukraine on Monday after the pro-Russian leaders of Ukraine’s “people’s republics” were shown on TV pleading with him to acknowledge them as independent states. Putin’s recognition of the separatist regions came amid Western fears of Russian invasion in… → Read More