It's All in the Contract: a Closer Look at BOT

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This issue's main feature tells us that the smooth implementation of big BOT projects depends on carefully designed contracts. Using the challenging case of the Land Transportation Office ICT project as basis, Adora Navarro describes several issues that deter the smooth implementation of the said project. These issues, the author explains in detail, are related to weaknesses in the contract design per se. Along this line, it is recommended that the present BOT Law and its implementing rules and regulations, the very backbone of BOT projects, be reviewed and amended. Another feature in this issue talks about the influence of individual belief in negative stereotypes on one's propensity to discriminate and the effects of both on support for aggressive government policy approaches to address religion-based conflict. The Philippine experience with conflict in its Southern region, where many Filipino Muslims reside, provides a context for this study, which was initiated by the Human Development Network (HDN). The study provides emphasis on the crucial role that media plays in advancing the cause of long-term peace in the South.