Business & Economics Perspective Blogger

  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...

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 this art above on Facebook; perhaps this is an AI art, which demonstrates 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 is $81,76...

It's time for another Throwback Thursdays post. It's often how irritation can sometimes give me inspiration . I want to think about the problem with boomers. I was thinking about how, as a millennial, I can navigate life with some boomers who are open-minded (even if they still use boomer talk, such as "When I was your age," which can be irritating but can be bearable once they admit they achieved it via open-mindedness) vs. those who are plain stubborn. In fact, I often read some stories on Facebook where some boomers,  or better called the stubborn boomers , often try to operate in a world that no longer exists. This is the difference when the stubborn boomers start opening their mouths because blah blah blah, they were honor students, successful businessmen, etc., and try to make their children (and grandchildren) "extensions of themselves", rather than succeeding as individuals. It made me think about how boomers tend to marry in their 20s . Some can bra...

Mr. India Facebook Page Since it's Thursday, I feel like doing a random throwback post. Back in college, I had a few Indian Filipino friends who could speak Cebuano . I was usually into Arabic cooking . I remember eating in an Indian friend's house where his mother prepared some Indian dishes. It was around 2012 when Mr. India opened. This was the restaurant that would eventually become Bollywood Tandoor on M. Cuenco Avenue . It was a humble restaurant that served authentic Indian cuisine while learning to adjust to the Filipino palate.  I could remember my hesitance to eat there before. It was because I once had a bad memory at an Indian restaurant on Mango Avenue, which closed down so soon . It had bad service, and I will not mention its name. It was sometime in July of 2012 (more than 10 years ago) when the establishment opened at Gaisano Country Mall. I only entered the establishment a few years after it opened. I ate some of their foldover sandwiches (which were my favorit...

Asia's Best Choice What's a business site without talking about rags to riches ? Sure, I could keep focusing on Filipino rags to riches stories but I'd like to talk about an item that's selling worldwide. It's called Lao Gan Ma-- which literally means old godmother . It gets interesting because Lao Gan Ma can be used in different types of cooking. But what wasn't too surprising is the rags to riches story behind Lao Gan Ma. In fact, the founder herself Tao Huibi, who's currently 79 years old , came from a poor background and never learned to read and write. Last 2017, when she was 70 years old , she actually drove a Mercedes Benz, two Rolls-Royces, and a BMW .  The story was actually pretty tragic . Tao herself lost her husband where she had two sons, and to work multiple jobs to survive. However, this poor widow rather than play the blame game , decided ot open a small noodle shop in Guiyang in 1989. This is where her fermented soybeans and chili sauce bec...

Bilyonaryo News Channel It's time for me to address IBON Foundation yet again. I often receive comments that I'm not an economist like the IBON Foundation writers. I can cite authoritative sources to support my criticism. It's easy to accuse me of ad hominem. However, I'm focusing on the argument of IBON because how can an economic think-tank even keep suggesting proven,  outdated economic plans? Recently, the Bilyonaryo News Channel has featured Jose Enrique "Sonny" Africa. Here's something that Africa said that Lee Kuan Yew would've called third-world  mentality : “ We have to get over this thinking that foreign capital will save us ,” he said. “We also have to get over this thinking that we can’t produce enough food and therefore have to import everything. More household purchasing power means more aggregate demand. More aggregate demand means a bigger market for Filipino agriculture and Filipino industry. If Filipino agriculture and Filipino indus...

Credit: Verywell / Dennis Madamba Some time ago, I wrote about the Broken Windows Theory and school insults . Whenever I remember the vicious cycle where the insulter usually gets a free pass (out of the name of "kids just being kids"), I also get more violent despite the interventions done. It wasn't until I was in another school that both sides were usually mediated, even if teachers could often lapse into just "dealing with the bigger offense". It made me think that several fights I got into in high school, even if the conflict wasn't resolved immediately, eventually fizzled because when I got scolded for overreacting, the aggressor still had the punishment that met the offense. For example, I got the harder scolding for overreacting,  while the other person got scolded also for triggering the offense. I even felt that reconciliation with some of my former enemies may have been much harder without mediating between the  two sides of the conflict. I mean, ...