Business & Economics Perspective Blogger

Britanica The Pax Silica deal can set out many false dichotomies . We can think about dichotomies like pro-AI vs. anti-AI. Filipino Pride vs. Colonial Mentality, etc. However, it's possible that a person can be for FDI, for AI, and oppose Pax Silica on other grounds . For example, I found some people who actually comment on Facebook like: "Yes to FDI but let's be careful about what we allow." "We can allow 100% FDI, but I don't think the Philippines is fit for Pax Silica." "I'm for AI, but let's face it, we need to think about nature first."  It's a good thing that I'm reading some who oppose Pax Silica aren't raising alarmism like Kabataan Partylist is apparently doing . Right now, I can't really say if I'm for Pax Silica or against Pax Silica. It's because I'm for FDI,  but I'm not for FDI without  reasonable restrictions. What I want to do now is to do some analysis on the situation. Why I definitely w...

Right now, I reserve the right to be critical of Kabataan Partylist. Kabataan Partylist is part of the Makabayan Bloc. I often get insults on Facebook, like saying, "Where's your mass base like Kabataan Partylist?" or "Have you rallied enough like Kabataan Partylist?" That's the "You Too Fallacy". As always, it becomes Makabayan Bloc's mindset to stick to what I call "Vietnam War Economics". The late Lee Kuan Yew would call their mentality a third-world mindset . Here's a post by Kabataan Partylist on their Facebook page: KABATAAN: Marcos Continues to Submit to Washington; Down with the Pax Silica Framework! House Assistant Minority Leader and Kabataan Partylist Rep. Atty. Renee Co expressed fierce condemnation today over the impending November finalization of the predatory Pax Silica framework, calling it an “outright declaration of economic warfare and imperial exploitation against the Filipino people.” With the Philippine gove...

Yes, it's official, and it's sad. Recently, the Philippines has had  the highest electricity rate in Asia. Right now, I feel like that, even as a casual blogger, I still feel the need to react to current events. After all, this is a business and economics perspective blog . Now, going back to the topic, the Philippine Star (the blatant source of the picture above addresses the issue.  The blow was even felt in the Visayas, with Southern Leyte Electric Cooperative recording the highest on-grid residential rate at P16.57 per kilowatt hours (kWh), 32 percent up from a month ago’s P12.53 per kWh. Manila Electric Co., the country’s biggest power distribution utility that serves Metro Manila and nearby provinces, was also among the top distribution utilities with high rates. In June, its residential rate reached P14.48 per kWh. It's annoying, but social media comments can show downright economic ignorance  As always, I will not directly shame people, but their comments . In fa...

There are times I remember when I tend to run out of cash because I would go to Bollywood Tandoor (my favorite) or Cherry's the Spice (depending on my mood) for a good old curry or Indian barbecue. Right now, my favorite food at Bollywood Tandoor is either the grilled butter chicken, mutton curry, or the rather pricey (but also tasty) chicken kabsa biryani. Little India Healthy Cuisine (which permanently closed in Cebu City while thriving in Quezon City) was the only one that accepted credit cards during dine-ins, but the place was vegetarian . I felt sad learning that Little India Healthy Cuisine had permanently close d. In the case of Bollywood Tandoor, it was once Mr. India in Gaisano Country Mall prior to its rebirth as Bollywood Tandoor. Cherry's the Spice, which is South Indian style, also served its own charm. Overall, Bollywood Tandoor is still my favorite because North Indian food tends to be more adjustable for my personal taste. I thought about the number of times ...

Some time ago, I remember writing about Jollibee's acquisition of Shabu All Day  and Compose Coffee . It might be easy to scream to the top of one's lungs, "Pinoy pride! The Philippines is taking over the world ! However, when news like t he recent plan of the Barito Group from Indonesia to purchase the Energy Development Corporation of the Lopezes  for $5 Billion (which might be in USD) arrived, I'm getting comments like: "This should be blocked by the Philippine Competition Commission!" "Foreign ownership of such a big percentage of our electrical generating capacity might have national security implications." "What does this mean for the Philippines' energy future? Maybe a higher price increase? The Philippines is selling everything! "The Philippines has its own but keeps selling everything." I wonder if the same people who are writing their comments danced, thinking that the Philippines was "conquering the world" th...

  If you're a Chinoy millennial or perhaps a boomer, I would say these books were more of a symbol of trauma . I can exonerate the Chinese teachers (called siansi in Hokkien) but not the system . The lesson wasn't the siansi's fault. That's what I would tell my fellow Chinoys when we talk, we raise the problem. Whether it was Bethany Christian School, Philippine Christian Gospel School, the now-defunct Samantabhadra Institute, or Cebu Eastern College (where the school shooting threat occurred recently), the problem was often that they relied on si-thak, an  overemphasis on rote memorization. The traditional Chinese classroom in the Chinoy school can be a horror story  I remember the classic escalation of strict teachers that happened. Grade 1 Siansi was strict. Grade 2 Siansi was stricter than Grade 1 Siansi. Grade 3 Siansi was even stricter than Grade 2 Siansi. I remember the Grade 3 Siansi was so fierce that she got nicknamed Siansi Fierce by some students. In my memo...

Updated on: July 18, 2026 Last July 7, 2026, I read an article from ABS-CBN called " A tale of two economies: Why the Philippines now lags Vietnam ". I found the art above on Facebook; perhaps it's AI art that shows the Philippines lagging behind Vietnam. The Philippines used ot be ahead, but what happened? Speaking of ABS-CBN, I'm still reminded of how the network has the tendency to be hostile to constitutional reform. Now, putting that aside, I'd like to share an excerpt from the article, for a start: The Philippine Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev) admitted that the Philippines has been on a slow growth pace for the past decades. Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said many ASEAN neighbors have outgrown the country, including Vietnam. “If you’re asking why we are poor, the big part of the story is the country has not grown as fast as our neighbors,” Balisacan said. Comparing the Philippines to other ASEAN neighbors, Singapore’s GNI per capita ...