Multimedia

The 7.4-percent expansion of the Philippine economy in the second quarter of the year came as no surprise to me. Robust corporate earnings in the April-to-June period, a booming travel sector and energetic consumers visiting and dining in the malls are telltale signs that the economy is powering through the headwinds.

When his parents gave him the name Fidel, they probably saw something in him that told them he was going to be great someday. Fidel is a name that was derived from the Latin “fidelis” which means “faithful”. And that embodied what Fidel Valdez Ramos turned out to be: dutiful, steadfast, and, dependable.

The higher inflation rate of 6.4 percent in July dominated newspaper headlines last week. The key economic data deserves prominent treatment in the media because higher inflation affects everybody—it erodes the purchasing power of every Filipino consumer and increases the poverty rate.