BM Broader Look

SAY “Islamic banking” and one may conjure images that border on a banal reference to a fourth of the world’s population. This prejudice, however, is ending as local monetary authorities have been recently redoubling efforts in promoting this segment of financing in the Philippines.

That stride, however, got lost in its steady cadence as, like several sectors last year, developments in Islamic banking were derailed by government’s belated lockdown measures against the spread of the coronavirus disease of 2019. Still, optimism is, like Covid-19, infectious as many believe Islamic banking can help the banking sector reach the unbanked.

It’s the upper-class “rabble-rouser” who challenges the thought that the Philippines has reversed the Covid case uptrend by asking for statistics and is unaware of the Department of Health’s “Covid-19 Tracker.” It’s the journalists that are often being questioned about their information on social media—and sometimes in print—that is two or 10 years out of date.

Today’s podcast puts a spotlight on professional cycling. It is based on the BusinessMirror Cycling talk show streamed live via the BusinessMirror website and Facebook page every Monday. The show is moderated by BusinessMirror Sports Editor Jun Lomibao and National Commissaire for Road Sunshine Joy Vallejo.

We podcast today the third episode of the BusinessMirror Cycling talk show, which had Mark John Lexer Galedo and George Luis Oconer as guests.

For today’s podcast, we talk to BusinessMirror reporter Jasper Emmanuel Arcalas who wrote the Broader Look story titled “Mechanization moves agriculture sector slow, but sure, to modern farming,” which was published on January 7, 2021.

You may have noticed that those who make a living out of predicting the future are relatively silent if not extremely cautious with what they say going into this new year.

“I can see 2021 will possibly be more difficult in terms of financial, more difficult in terms of opportunities, more difficult in terms of money.” That is as safe a forecast as you can get. This prediction for 2021 will probably be 100 percent accurate. “If there’s one thing we learned from 2020, it’s that sometimes the truly unexpected happens.”

Former International Cycling Union President Pat McQuaid talks of cycling and his years in the Philippines with the Marlboro Tour and with former Marlboro Tour organizer Gerry Aquino.

Today’s podcast puts a spotlight on the glorious past of professional cycling. It is based on the BusinessMirror Cycling talk show streamed live via the BusinessMirror website and Facebook page every Monday.

The show is moderated by BusinessMirror Sports Editor Jun Lomibao and National Commissaire for Road Sunshine Joy Mendoza.

For today’s podcast, we talk to BusinessMirror reporter Cai Ordinario who wrote the Broader Look story titled “‘Family, faith fortify Filipinos against pandemic, perfidy” and which was published on December 30, 2020.

For the text version online, please go to www.businessmirror.com.ph and search for Broader Look. For the print edition, please read the BusinessMirror newspaper.

Beginning on January 24, 2020 with my editorial “China’s health problem is our problem,” I wrote more than one hundred pieces on the pandemic. This involved hundreds of hours of research both health-wise and economically.

I can now say with absolute certainty and confidence that I still do not have a conclusion about what has been and is going on. If you do, then “You’re a better man than I am, Gunga Din!,” and much smarter.