Pre-pandemic, the country's state of education was already beset with a multitude of issues and concerns such as overcrowded classrooms, unattractive compensation packages for educators and poor public education infrastructure quality. As a further indication of the state of our education, the Philippines ranked lowest out of 79 countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's (OECD) Program for International Student Assessment in 2018.

The COVID-19 pandemic has not only claimed the lives of so many Filipinos but also taken away work and earning opportunities for many willing and able workers due to forced closures brought about by periodic lockdowns. In August 2021, the unemployment rate rose to 8.1% or equivalent to about 3.9 million jobless Filipinos as the country went back to implementing harsh lockdowns due to the rapid transmission of the Delta variant.

The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting lockdowns across many parts of the Philippines exacerbated poverty levels in the country as poverty incidence in 2020 rose to 20% of the population or equivalent to about 22 million poor Filipinos (from pre-pandemic figures of about 17.7 million in 2018). The loss of jobs by over 8.7 million Filipinos in April 2020 is also considered a major contributing factor to the sharp increase in poverty incidence. Based on studies by the Philippine Disaster and Resilience Foundation, about 70% of businesses were forced to closed due to the implemented restrictions.

It's still the economy, stupid!

The next administration faces a serious challenge on how to revive an ailing economy severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

You are only as good as your last performance. This applies also to political brands- may these be colors, hand signs taglines, or associations. Candidates and parties who have enjoyed relative success in using prior brands do not need to reinvent the wheel. Meanwhile, those with unsuccessful runs often associate their failures to poor branding. Changing of brands can also be attributed to a change in brain trust of candidates and/or parties and/or a shift in strategy based on past performance.

The filing of certificates of candidacies for national and local positions officially began on 1 October 2021 and will span until 8 October 2021 (Friday), The recent survey results by opinion pollster Pulse Asia from 6-11 September 2021 will shape the decisions of aspirants. Those who performed poorly in the polls may be forced to abandon their intentions to run, while those with modest numbers may opt to continue or slide down to a lower position for pragmatic considerations.

To the 17th President of the Republic of the Philippines

Malacañan Palace, JP, Kalayaan Hall,

 2/F Jose Laurel St,

 San Miguel, Manila

Article VI, Section 21 of the Philippine Constitution grants the Senate or the House of Representatives or any of its respective committees with the power to conduct inquiries in aid of legislation. Under Senate Rule No. 5, Section 17, the concerned Committee shall have "the powers of an investigating committee, including the power to summon witnesses and take their testimony and to issue subpoena and subpoena duces tecum, signed by its Chairman, or in his absence by the Acting Chairman, and approved by the (Senate) President."

Political positioning and posturing for the 2022 Elections have recently become obvious among interested individuals, groups, and parties. The protagonists for various national posts are currently in the heat of discussions with several groups and organizations for potential partnerships and alliances. Prominent ones have already started using traditional and social media platforms to create awareness and increase their public visibility with the deadline for the filing of candidacies fast approaching.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the government to constantly change and revise its response strategy based on trends in the number of infections, absorptive capacity of our healthcare system, and special variants of interest, among others. A critical component of the response strategy involves the periodic bi-weekly decision-making on the quarantine status of the country based on scientific and economic considerations.

The world has turned upside down with the COVID-19 pandemic. It has significantly disrupted global economic activities, forced societies to change its methods of interaction, and prompted a reconfiguration of our everyday living as individuals. Increasing global deaths have compelled people to adapt and find ways to function, thrive and live under these abnormal and difficult conditions.

With the 2022 Philippine National Elections looming, conversations are progressively heating up between the DDS, Dilawans and in-betweens. Presidential daughter Davao Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio leads current polls of Presidentiables against close competition identified either as generally supportive of the administration and the opposition. Several groups have warmed up to the idea of launching movements in support of a particular candidate or endorsing a particular candidate or tandem as a legitimate political party.