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Last week, like millions of devout Catholic Filipinos, I was able to complete a nine-day series of Masses also known as “Simbang Gabi” albeit via live streaming due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Historically, it was said that the beloved Christmas tradition started when priests said dawn masses instead of traditional evening mass to accommodate churchgoers who had to go to work. It is thought that those who complete all dawn Masses will be granted a wish. I can still remember when I fervently wished to pass the qualifying examination for the accountancy program of my alma mater. Lo and behold, my wish was granted and I am now happily living my dream.

As a young professional working and living away from my family, I look forward to December. Booking a flight, buying gifts, and planning a vacation give me a rush. December is also usually when I re-evaluate the goals I have set for myself, look back on the decisions I made, and assess whether I still get fulfillment from the things I do. However, this year was different. I have to remind myself that surviving difficult times is a success in itself, that taking a break does not necessarily mean abandoning your dreams. That it is fine to rest, keep the faith, and just strike later.

For Filipinos, Christmas is the most anticipated event of the year. Preparation for the festivities starts as early as September with Christmas celebrations lasting until January of the following year. While this year’s festivities will inevitably be different due to restrictions on gatherings, Filipinos can undoubtedly make the most of the situation and make the Christmas spirit come alive.

International businesses are often faced with issues of being taxed twice on the same income. This occurs when the same income is taxed in two different countries. Under the tax rules, domestic corporations and individual resident citizens are subject to Philippine income tax on their worldwide income. For such taxpayers, being taxed twice can happen when their foreign-sourced income is taxed in the country where it is earned, and then taxed again in the Philippines.

With Christmas just a few weeks away, most of us are preparing decorations and buying presents despite the quarantine. This year’s holiday season will be much different from the past celebrations. Most businesses, particularly the micro, small and medium enterprises, which used to get their fair share of consumer spending, were forced to temporarily close and retrench employees due to the pandemic.

In recent weeks, the Philippines, mainly Luzon, was ravaged by a series of typhoons that left the Bicol Region in ruins and submerged the Cagayan Valley in floods. Homes and livelihoods were lost because of these calamities.

Last week seemed like a bad case of déjà vu with parts of Metro Manila being under water again, some 11 years ago after the last serious flood. TV stations broadcast images of people trapped on their roofs waiting for rescue, pets being rescued by their humans, and government resources stretched to the limit in responding to the needs of those devastated by the typhoon.

Twenty years ago, RA 8792 (the Electronic Commerce Act) was signed into law. The government was preparing for the digital age as the world moved on to information and technology-based means of communication. It is safe to say that the progress towards using information technology for business did not escalate the way it was predicted. The cost involved in ensuring integrity of electronic documents has been one of the challenges of the business sector and the government in transforming to fully IT-based operation. Before the pandemic, the business sector relied on face-to-face interaction, including inquiries, follow-up and manual submission of reporting requirements to the government. The latter still uses traditional means of communication when sending notices to taxpayers as well. For signatures on reports submitted to the government, wet-ink signatures on documents have been consistently and strictly required.