How important are business and consumer confidence and future expectations? Or should we be counting foot traffic at the malls? Once the government-mandated moratorium on some debt payments is lifted, will banks start lending again? 

No economic crystal ball can predict what the long-term picture is going to look like. In perspective, a seven percent decline in the GDP from 2019 takes us back to about the total GDP for 2018.

A member of Escuela Taller recounts how they remained resolute in restoring the Holy Rosary Parish church in Angeles City, Pampanga, before and even during lockdown measures against the Covid-19 pandemic.

KNOWN for celebrating the longest Christmas season in the world, the Philippines will also see this year’s holiday on a short budget.

Instead of the usual fare of  hamon, quezo de bola, salad,  leche flan  and other Christmas favorites, some Filipino families may likely swap these for roasted chicken, a simple noodle dish, rice and a no-frills dessert from more affordable ingredients.

The Covid-19 pandemic has created a wonderful opportunity for politicians and pundits. Local politicians—state and city in the US and city and barangay in the Philippines—have earned a fortune, power, and fame. Pundits have had something to write about.

The key to the deal, though, is that the pandemic has changed the world at least in the foreseeable future.

Today’s podcast puts a spotlight on young entrepreneur Miya Onquit, co-owner of Leaky Cauldron, an online food business that sells chicken wings, chicharong bulaklak and baked sushi, among others.

AT the same time a small store’s window is flung open in Muntinlupa, a woman crosses a narrow overpass in the eastern part of the metropolis; a bicycle in tow.

It’s another day of trudging on against the unknown but with a simple plan: both for Loida, the sari-sari store owner, and Elsa, the 30-year-old woman with the bicycle, it’s simply to earn something to get them through tomorrow.

The fortyish Loida de la Cruz (not her real name) said earning something is better than shutting down the store entirely and surrendering whatever hope there is amid the Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdown.

When you are a child you may often be asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I always had problems with even faking it like “I want to be a doctor.” I suppose that is the reason I have worked a “real” job—where they expect you to come on time and not leave early—only about three years of my adult life.

Today’s podcast puts a spotlight on young entrepreneur JC Merez, co-owner of Tagay Cocktails, an online business selling cocktail mixes. JC works for a 5-star hotel but quarantine measures prompted her to build the business that plays on the Tagalog word for a shot among drinking buddies.