Frederick Go was appointed to the post of Special Assistant to the President on Investment and Economic Affars (SAPIEA). Criterion: successful past business experience. The new appointments by the President show that he values past business experience as a key element in the choice of the next managers. More business experience in government. I will close today’s commentary by pointing out that appointments in two major agencies are along the same theme of business experience being a key element in the appointment.

Sinulog 2024 highlights: Guinness World Record holder’s performanceCEBU CITY, Philippines — A world record holder of the biggest dance class in history performed at the Sinulog sa Sugbo 2024 stadium in South Road Properties (SRP), Cebu City. Dancesport-Team Cebu City (DTCC) made it to the 2011 Guinness Book World Records for staging a dance class of 7,770 participants in Cebu City Sports Center on June 27, 2009. During their performance at last Sunday’s Sinulog sa Sugbo 2024, DTCC again included a massive number of performers, ranging from children to adults, who gyrated to different dance genres, including dance sport and their interpretation of the Sinulog theme. — Video by Deni Rose M. Afinidad-Bernardo, video editing by EC Toledo

LONDON: Sarah Ferguson, the former wife of the United Kingdom's Prince Andrew, has been diagnosed with skin cancer, just months after undergoing an operation for a breast tumor, her spokesman said on Sunday. "Following her diagnosis with an early form of breast cancer this summer, Sarah, Duchess of York, has now been diagnosed with malignant melanoma," the spokesman said in a statement. Ferguson, who thanked the medical team supporting her, had several moles removed and analyzed, one of which was cancerous, the spokesman said. The former spouses have two daughters, both married and with children: Princess Beatrice, 35, and Princess Eugenie, 33. At the same time, his daughter-in-law Catherine, Princess of Wales, 42, is recuperating in hospital after abdominal surgery.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. leads in the celebration of the 125th Anniversary of the First Republic of the Philippines at the Barasoain Church in Bulacan on Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024. With Marcos were Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, Speaker Martin Romualdez and Armed Force Chief Romeo Brawner Jr. Marcos enjoins government, citizens to work together "to forge national unity based on ideals larger than ourselves", stressing that a divided republic would not prosper. Videos from The Presidential Communications Office and Office of the Speaker

Foreign borrowings rise to $14.5 billion in 2023Data released by the central bank yesterday showed foreign borrowings approved by the BSP amounted to $14.49 billion in 2023, $4.17 billion higher than the $10.32 billion obtained in 2022 from foreign lenders. Data released by the central bank yesterday showed foreign borrowings approved by the BSP amounted to $14.49 billion in 2023, $4.17 billion higher than the $10.32 billion obtained in 2022 from foreign lenders. National government borrowings via global bond issuances declined by 16.1 percent to $4 billion in 2023 from $4.77 billion a year ago. On the other hand, the central bank also approved 12 project loans worth $5.67 billion in 2023, a 21-percent jump from $4.68 billion in 2022. For the fourth quarter of 2023 alone, BSP-approved foreign borrowings surged by 65.8 percent to $3.32 billion from $2 billion in the same quarter in 2022.

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's headline inflation rate stayed at 1.5 percent in December 2023, with the index points recorded at 131.2 as against 129.2 in the same month of the previous year, official data showed on Monday. The Department of Statistics Malaysia said in a statement that the increase in inflation was driven by the slight increases in restaurants and hotels, miscellaneous goods and services, and food and non-alcoholic beverages. Other main groups that showed increases were health and transport. Meanwhile, the annual headline inflation in 2023 increased by 2.5 percent as compared to 3.3 percent in 2022. This was due to an increase in restaurants and hotels, food and non-alcoholic beverages, and miscellaneous goods and services.

TORONTO — Canada on Monday announced a two-year cap on the intake of foreign students after explosive growth in recent years aggravated the country’s housing shortage. The new proposals will also set limits on post-graduate work permits issued to foreign students, which will likely encourage them to return to their home countries. Canada has emerged as a popular destination for international students since it is relatively easy to obtain work permits after finishing courses. But the surge in international students led to an acute shortage in rental apartments, which pushed up rents. Some businesses, including restaurants and retail sectors, have warned that a cap on foreign students will create a shortage of temporary workers.

WATCH: Sinulog Best Dance Crew 2024 performanceCEBU CITY, Philippines — The Sinulog Best Dance Crew for 2024 performed at last Sunday’s Sinulog sa Sugbo 2024 stadium in South Road Properties (SRP), Cebu City. The highlight of the group's winning performance was a tribute to Santo Niño de Cebu, to whom the annual Sinulog Festival is dedicated to. Their dance was witnessed by the festival's millions of attendees and devotees to "Senyor" Santo Niño. — Video by Deni Rose M. Afinidad-Bernardo, video editing by EC Toledo

Or are there really positive trends counterbalancing the obvious and mounting challenges to global growth? The trends that supported the global economy's unexpected resilience in 2023 "also offer plenty of reasons to be optimistic for 2024." It is also at odds with a range of economic, financial, geopolitical and political developments. Moreover, the extent to which aggressive interest rate hikes contributed to reducing inflation has become the subject of debate among economists. Given these circumstances, the chances of robust global growth in 2024 appear tenuous.

MOSCOW: More than 300,000 people have signed a petition calling for a Russian train conductor to lose her job after she threw a pet cat off a train, believing it was a stray. The white-and-ginger tom cat, known as Twix, escaped from his carrier on a train traveling between the cities of Yekaterinburg and St. Petersburg on January 11. CUDDLY KITTY A cat is pictured at an international cat show in Belarus’ capital Minsk on June 11, 2023. Others reshared viral footage of the cat being dropped into the snow in temperatures approaching -22 Fahrenheit (-30 Celsius). "We sincerely regret the death of Twix the cat and apologize to his owners," the company said in a statement on social media.

Romualdez sidesteps allegation he ordered People's Initiative signature driveMANILA, Philippines — House Speaker Martin Romualdez has shrugged off a senator’s allegation that he ordered lawmakers to gather signatures for the campaign to amend the 1987 Constitution via People’s Initiative. During a press conference on the same day, Dela Rosa, who is against the People’s Initiative, said Romualdez gave marching orders for House lawmakers to collect signatures for the People’s Initiative campaign. Several minority House lawmakers first flagged the People's Initiative campaign in early January after they received reports that local executives were being mobilized to distribute the petition forms and pay people to sign them. The petition being circulated for the People’s Initiative campaign does not propose any change to the Constitution’s economic provisions. While President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has criticized the People’s Initiative campaign for being “too divisive,” according to Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, he has not ordered to stop the signature drive.

House Leaders led by Speaker Martin Romualdez and PTV General Manager Analisa Puod launch Congress TV at the House of Representatives on Monday. Romualdez said that the channel will be a "bridge" that would connect the halls of House of Representatives to "to every home, every school, and every Filipino,"VIDEO BY RED MENDOZA

MANILA, Philippines — The National Commission of Senior Citizens (NCSC) warned senior citizens in a public advisory last week to be wary of false information and fake news on social media about cash gifts and social pension for the elderly. NCSC Chair Franklin Quijano clarified that Senate Bill No. 2028, which proposes to give cash gifts of P10,000 to 80-year-olds, 85-year-olds, 90-year-olds and 95-year olds; and P100,000 to 100 year-olds, was approved by the Senate in September 2023 but has not been signed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. So it is not yet a law. Quijano also explained that the social pension for poor senior citizens, which is P500 per month as of 2023, is still under the Department of Social Welfare and Development until the transfer of duties and responsibilities of senior citizens as required by law.

However, as I warned almost a year ago (see my TMT column of March 27, 2023), the Philippines is missing out. Double-digit falls in exportsWhat are the implications of China's soft rebound from the Philippine perspective? Had the status quo prevailed, exports to China would have increased with its soft rebound. Only a year ago, the Department of Tourism (DoT) aimed to have 2 million Chinese visit the Philippines in 2023. Missed opportunitiesAll these adverse trends were discernible already in spring 2023 (TMT, April 24, 2023).

Easy to hate“The conversation about racism is now ‘loud’.” – Dr. Janil Puthucheary, Singapore One People agencyDwight Ramos’ revelation that he has been receiving hate messages as an Asian import in Japan’s B.League was an eye-opener. Generally, we don’t think of hate speech or racism among fellow Asians. We read and see this on the news usually in the United States, particularly with the reported increase in hate crimes against Asians, including Filipinos. China, Japan and the Philippines have had multiple armed conflicts with one another. It’s easy to hate, to destroy.