Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both.... I took the one less tr... more Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both.... I took the one less travelled by, And that has made all the difference.
Using data from a quick survey of various rural (RFIs) and microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Ea... more Using data from a quick survey of various rural (RFIs) and microfinance institutions (MFIs) in East Asia, the paper tries to find out how those institutions and their clientele have been affected by the global financial crisis, how they have coped with the ongoing crisis, and what they plan to do in the future to ensure the stability of the rural financial system and the continuing access of clients to financial services. The microfinance sector in Asia continues to evolve with emphasis on efficiency and strong growth in outreach. The limited data from the quick survey validate the growth in loan portfolios and increase in the number of clients, with growth varying significantly by country depending on internal and external factors during the period before the global financial crisis. Impacts vary depending on external and internal factors faced by RFIs and MFIs. However, they continue to maintain a positive attitude and expect that business will pick up as a result of an increase i...
Asian journal of agriculture and development, 2007
This paper presents a general picture of the difficulties in developing a sustainable lending ser... more This paper presents a general picture of the difficulties in developing a sustainable lending service geared toward smallholder agriculture. Drawing on the experiences of the Philippines and other countries, it traces the rethinking of the agricultural credit policy following the collapse of subsidized agricultural credit programs, and the subsequent rise of microfinance, as pioneered by nongovernmental organizations. Acknowledging that the main challenge is not about the straightforward application of microfinance technologies to agriculture, the paper discusses how crafting an approach to sustainable agriculture microfinance is influenced by myriad of issues. The paper concludes that overcoming the barriers to agricultural microfinance goes beyond the simple provision of credit, extends outside agriculture, and shuns a "one size fits all" approach. To be able to deal with the complexity and risks in agriculture, rural lenders would have to innovate on their product desig...
PIDS Policy Notes are observations/analyses written by PIDS researchers on certain policy issues.... more PIDS Policy Notes are observations/analyses written by PIDS researchers on certain policy issues. The treatise is holistic in approach and aims to provide useful inputs for decisionmaking. The authors are, respectively, President and Senior Research Fellow, PIDS. They are grateful to Keith C. Detros and Ma. Kristina P. Ortiz for rendering excellent research assistance. The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of PIDS or any of the study’s sponsors. Policy Notes
The high cost of health care can produce severe financial shock on poor households that can ill a... more The high cost of health care can produce severe financial shock on poor households that can ill afford it. Faced with catastrophic health care spending, poor households are forced to reduce their expenses on basic items such as food, transportation, and education; use their savings, if there are any; or borrow in order to cope with the medical bills of one or more of their members. Prolonged—and at times—fatal illness of the household head could mean deeper poverty for the rest of the household.
The 1991 Local Government Code devolved substantial spending, taxing, and borrowing powers to loc... more The 1991 Local Government Code devolved substantial spending, taxing, and borrowing powers to local government units (LGUs). Moving governance closer to the people can generate a welfare gain, but local governments must have adequate revenues to finance local development. The paper examines the current status of the tax-expenditure assignment and the intergovernmental fiscal relations, and identifies areas for reform. There is a need for a clearer and more accountable assignment of expenditure by eliminating particular sections of the code, which serve as a route for national government agencies to be engaged in devolved activities, and for politicians to insert funding for pet projects, which distort local decision making and preferences. There is need as well to review the tax assignment to improve local revenue generation. The allocation of intergovernmental fiscal transfers may be improved by introducing matching grants to improve equalization transfers to local governments, and...
PIDS Policy Notes are observations/analyses written by PIDS researchers on certain policy issues.... more PIDS Policy Notes are observations/analyses written by PIDS researchers on certain policy issues. The treatise is holistic in approach and aims to provide useful inputs for decisionmaking. The authors are, respectively, president, senior research fellow, and research assistants, PIDS. This Note draws from PIDS Discussion Paper No. 2013-48 titled "Customs brokerage services and trade facilitation: A review of regulatory coherence", written by the same authors. The authors gratefully acknowledge the funding support of the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA). The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of PIDS or any of the study’s sponsors. Policy Notes
Globally, the rise of new and unexpected risks and shocks has impacted stable and poor societies ... more Globally, the rise of new and unexpected risks and shocks has impacted stable and poor societies alike, and some, especially the latter, have become increasingly dysfunctional. The Philippines is peculiarly challenged to build economic resilience as indicated by its high-risk exposure and vulnerability. The objective of this paper is to point to policymakers the importance of resilience thinking and the formulation of appropriate policy interventions to build economic resilience. Policymakers should be aware and conversant about risk analysis, risk management, and what policies can best respond to exogenous shocks. This is to say that such policies should be underpinned by policy analysis and research on resilience systems. There is also need for a shared vision in the communities and in the larger polity about what to do about those risks. Building economic resilience requires finding effective instruments, that is, policies and interventions to deal with different risks, shocks, f...
Utilizing secondary information and current literature, this paper documents and analyzes the fol... more Utilizing secondary information and current literature, this paper documents and analyzes the following: the utilization of landowner’s compensation under PD 27 and RA 6657, the factors that encourage or discourage the shift of landowners form agriculture to industry, the existing incentives and support infrastructure bestowed to them, the impact of agrarian reform n their income and investment behavior and the current compensation program. Several issues concerning research gaps are identified.
However, user demands for faster data transmission and more sophisticated multimedia services tha... more However, user demands for faster data transmission and more sophisticated multimedia services that include voice, video, and fax transmission and reception that are impossible in the current 2G platform seem to have made the deployment of 3G technology inevitable. Third generation technology allows wireless applications that will enable roaming capabilities, broad bandwidth, and high-speed communications of as much as 2 megabits per second. Under the 3G platform, the convergence of existing cellular standards such as global system for mobile communications (GSM), code division multiple access (CDMA), and time division multiple access (TDMA) into a single uniform global system that includes terrestrial and satellite components in its functioning is very likely.
The Philippines has performed creditably well in the past few years. Ensuring better infrastructu... more The Philippines has performed creditably well in the past few years. Ensuring better infrastructure and connectivity is crucial in attaining inclusive growth. This will require substantial investments in infrastructure. Various reforms to address the infrastructure lack were implemented but there is scope for more reforms: improving fiscal space, reforming budgetary processes, improving public‐private partnerships (PPPs) and the regulatory environment, and better policy coordination to address problems of connectivity and infrastructure. The Philippines has to continuously improve the governance framework, ensure stability and predictability of policies and regulations. Better coordination among a diverse set of governmental infrastructure bodies, and also between government and the private sector is needed to address infrastructure bottlenecks.
PIDS Policy Notes are observations/analyses written by PIDS researchers on certain policy issues.... more PIDS Policy Notes are observations/analyses written by PIDS researchers on certain policy issues. The treatise is holistic in approach and aims to provide useful inputs for decisionmaking. The author is Senior Research Fellow at PIDS. He thanks Mr. Carlos Sayco, Jr. and the Development Academy of the Philippines for allowing the issuance of their coauthored study on Philippine productivity dynamics as a PIDS Discussion Paper. This Policy Notes draws from C. Sayco, Jr. and G. M. Llanto (2012), Philippine productivity dynamics in the last five decades, Development Academy of the Philippines, Pasig City. The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of PIDS or any of the study’s sponsors. P Policy Notes
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both.... I took the one less tr... more Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both.... I took the one less travelled by, And that has made all the difference.
Using data from a quick survey of various rural (RFIs) and microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Ea... more Using data from a quick survey of various rural (RFIs) and microfinance institutions (MFIs) in East Asia, the paper tries to find out how those institutions and their clientele have been affected by the global financial crisis, how they have coped with the ongoing crisis, and what they plan to do in the future to ensure the stability of the rural financial system and the continuing access of clients to financial services. The microfinance sector in Asia continues to evolve with emphasis on efficiency and strong growth in outreach. The limited data from the quick survey validate the growth in loan portfolios and increase in the number of clients, with growth varying significantly by country depending on internal and external factors during the period before the global financial crisis. Impacts vary depending on external and internal factors faced by RFIs and MFIs. However, they continue to maintain a positive attitude and expect that business will pick up as a result of an increase i...
Asian journal of agriculture and development, 2007
This paper presents a general picture of the difficulties in developing a sustainable lending ser... more This paper presents a general picture of the difficulties in developing a sustainable lending service geared toward smallholder agriculture. Drawing on the experiences of the Philippines and other countries, it traces the rethinking of the agricultural credit policy following the collapse of subsidized agricultural credit programs, and the subsequent rise of microfinance, as pioneered by nongovernmental organizations. Acknowledging that the main challenge is not about the straightforward application of microfinance technologies to agriculture, the paper discusses how crafting an approach to sustainable agriculture microfinance is influenced by myriad of issues. The paper concludes that overcoming the barriers to agricultural microfinance goes beyond the simple provision of credit, extends outside agriculture, and shuns a "one size fits all" approach. To be able to deal with the complexity and risks in agriculture, rural lenders would have to innovate on their product desig...
PIDS Policy Notes are observations/analyses written by PIDS researchers on certain policy issues.... more PIDS Policy Notes are observations/analyses written by PIDS researchers on certain policy issues. The treatise is holistic in approach and aims to provide useful inputs for decisionmaking. The authors are, respectively, President and Senior Research Fellow, PIDS. They are grateful to Keith C. Detros and Ma. Kristina P. Ortiz for rendering excellent research assistance. The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of PIDS or any of the study’s sponsors. Policy Notes
The high cost of health care can produce severe financial shock on poor households that can ill a... more The high cost of health care can produce severe financial shock on poor households that can ill afford it. Faced with catastrophic health care spending, poor households are forced to reduce their expenses on basic items such as food, transportation, and education; use their savings, if there are any; or borrow in order to cope with the medical bills of one or more of their members. Prolonged—and at times—fatal illness of the household head could mean deeper poverty for the rest of the household.
The 1991 Local Government Code devolved substantial spending, taxing, and borrowing powers to loc... more The 1991 Local Government Code devolved substantial spending, taxing, and borrowing powers to local government units (LGUs). Moving governance closer to the people can generate a welfare gain, but local governments must have adequate revenues to finance local development. The paper examines the current status of the tax-expenditure assignment and the intergovernmental fiscal relations, and identifies areas for reform. There is a need for a clearer and more accountable assignment of expenditure by eliminating particular sections of the code, which serve as a route for national government agencies to be engaged in devolved activities, and for politicians to insert funding for pet projects, which distort local decision making and preferences. There is need as well to review the tax assignment to improve local revenue generation. The allocation of intergovernmental fiscal transfers may be improved by introducing matching grants to improve equalization transfers to local governments, and...
PIDS Policy Notes are observations/analyses written by PIDS researchers on certain policy issues.... more PIDS Policy Notes are observations/analyses written by PIDS researchers on certain policy issues. The treatise is holistic in approach and aims to provide useful inputs for decisionmaking. The authors are, respectively, president, senior research fellow, and research assistants, PIDS. This Note draws from PIDS Discussion Paper No. 2013-48 titled "Customs brokerage services and trade facilitation: A review of regulatory coherence", written by the same authors. The authors gratefully acknowledge the funding support of the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA). The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of PIDS or any of the study’s sponsors. Policy Notes
Globally, the rise of new and unexpected risks and shocks has impacted stable and poor societies ... more Globally, the rise of new and unexpected risks and shocks has impacted stable and poor societies alike, and some, especially the latter, have become increasingly dysfunctional. The Philippines is peculiarly challenged to build economic resilience as indicated by its high-risk exposure and vulnerability. The objective of this paper is to point to policymakers the importance of resilience thinking and the formulation of appropriate policy interventions to build economic resilience. Policymakers should be aware and conversant about risk analysis, risk management, and what policies can best respond to exogenous shocks. This is to say that such policies should be underpinned by policy analysis and research on resilience systems. There is also need for a shared vision in the communities and in the larger polity about what to do about those risks. Building economic resilience requires finding effective instruments, that is, policies and interventions to deal with different risks, shocks, f...
Utilizing secondary information and current literature, this paper documents and analyzes the fol... more Utilizing secondary information and current literature, this paper documents and analyzes the following: the utilization of landowner’s compensation under PD 27 and RA 6657, the factors that encourage or discourage the shift of landowners form agriculture to industry, the existing incentives and support infrastructure bestowed to them, the impact of agrarian reform n their income and investment behavior and the current compensation program. Several issues concerning research gaps are identified.
However, user demands for faster data transmission and more sophisticated multimedia services tha... more However, user demands for faster data transmission and more sophisticated multimedia services that include voice, video, and fax transmission and reception that are impossible in the current 2G platform seem to have made the deployment of 3G technology inevitable. Third generation technology allows wireless applications that will enable roaming capabilities, broad bandwidth, and high-speed communications of as much as 2 megabits per second. Under the 3G platform, the convergence of existing cellular standards such as global system for mobile communications (GSM), code division multiple access (CDMA), and time division multiple access (TDMA) into a single uniform global system that includes terrestrial and satellite components in its functioning is very likely.
The Philippines has performed creditably well in the past few years. Ensuring better infrastructu... more The Philippines has performed creditably well in the past few years. Ensuring better infrastructure and connectivity is crucial in attaining inclusive growth. This will require substantial investments in infrastructure. Various reforms to address the infrastructure lack were implemented but there is scope for more reforms: improving fiscal space, reforming budgetary processes, improving public‐private partnerships (PPPs) and the regulatory environment, and better policy coordination to address problems of connectivity and infrastructure. The Philippines has to continuously improve the governance framework, ensure stability and predictability of policies and regulations. Better coordination among a diverse set of governmental infrastructure bodies, and also between government and the private sector is needed to address infrastructure bottlenecks.
PIDS Policy Notes are observations/analyses written by PIDS researchers on certain policy issues.... more PIDS Policy Notes are observations/analyses written by PIDS researchers on certain policy issues. The treatise is holistic in approach and aims to provide useful inputs for decisionmaking. The author is Senior Research Fellow at PIDS. He thanks Mr. Carlos Sayco, Jr. and the Development Academy of the Philippines for allowing the issuance of their coauthored study on Philippine productivity dynamics as a PIDS Discussion Paper. This Policy Notes draws from C. Sayco, Jr. and G. M. Llanto (2012), Philippine productivity dynamics in the last five decades, Development Academy of the Philippines, Pasig City. The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of PIDS or any of the study’s sponsors. P Policy Notes
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Papers by Gilberto Llanto