Complaining About Inflation While Wasting Money on Firecrackers as a "Necessity"

As 2022 ends, today is Rizal Day (and I must admit, I took him as an inspiration back in high school), and tomorrow is New Year's Eve, I felt like writing this. I couldn't help but cringe over all the complaints about the reality that at one place in the Philippines--the cost of onions was already PHP 600.00. Some people were complaining that one kilo of lechon was already too expensive. That's why I wrote about it that is it possible such people are complaining about it because they feel the need for lavish festivities (read here)? I think it's true with my experience of having lived downtown and having neighbors who celebrate lavishly when they can't afford it. That's why I even love to bring up that after the Noche Buena (Christmas dinner) they may no longer have money for tomorrow's New Year's Eve dinner (read here).

Tomorrow is New Year and one of the things I hate about it is the heavy use of firecrackers. I remembered the cringy site of the news and the increased number of firecracker injuries. It's only good that rules against dangerous firecrackers got stricter. I believe people need permits to use firecrackers or that private households shouldn't use them for one reason. We don't want a similar case of excess smoke like what happened in New Delhi after Diwali, the festival of lights. Yet, some people are still too attached to the tradition of firecrackers like they're attached to having lechon on Noche Buena. I guess that's why they were whining that the cost of lechon is that expensive.

I just read from the Inquirer that prices of firecrackers soared in Bulacan. Should we be amazed? I guess it's all about supply and demand. If gatherings were really stopped during the first two years of the pandemic--do you think it'd make sense to make firecrackers? The prices went from PHP 350.00 to PHP 750.00 and were later sold at PHP 850 to PHP 1,000.00. Yet, some people were still buying firecrackers worth that much while whining that one kilo of onions is already PHP 600.00 or that PHP 500.00 wouldn't be enough for the "mandatory" lechon for Noche Buena.

I guess complaining about increasing costs here is linked with ignorance and financial responsibility. What do you expect from people who just love to splurge on whatever money is given? If one's living paycheck to paycheck when why splurge the salary on payday (read here)? These old habits are hard to kill because it seems to be a tradition for them. They would spend the money the moment they get it. Some may be working in call centers. Others may be getting remittances from their OFW loved ones. The moment they get it--they overlook their needs and focus on their wants. What happens is that bills are ignored. They end up adding debt to debt. The money that was supposedly spent on bills was spent on having the barkada (peer) blowout on payday. Even worse, they end up buying stuff that they aren't willing to pay extra for. It's like why buy a car if you don't have a garage and can't afford gas? Why buy an airconditioner if you can't afford to pay higher electricity?

Still, some will stubbornly say, "But it's tradition to have firecrackers as lechon is to Noche Buena! That's why we're complaining about inflation!" Then I could say, "Isn't it any wonder why your financial situation never improves? If it's inflation then shouldn't you save more money?" I guess their whining about inflation is because they wish the money could buy more. It's not because they want to save. It's because they still want to celebrate lavishly even if inflation is also caused by supply and demand. We have a supply chain analysis. We should really look at factors that led to inflation. Yet, when I talk about importing raw materials (read here), these people also whine, "But you'll kill the local farmers!" Wouldn't asking the local farmers to sell lower than their cost be killing local farmers more than importation ever will?

Even worse, firecracker injuries are very costly to treat. This reminds me of a Visayan song by Max Surban called "Rebentador Rock". Rebentador is a Visayan word for firecracker. I even wonder where their good financial sense is anyway? Should I expect any financial literacy from people who never budget their paychecks and splurge on it? These firecracker injuries usually lead to permanent disability like mutilated fingers and mutilated legs, and I definitely don't want to elaborate since the sight is very disturbing. They wasted their money from January to November, they borrowed tons of money for the Noche Buena, and for the New Year. They probably even didn't buy health insurance saying it's "costly" while wasting their money on having a good time.

This is really comparable to the cost of adding sugar whenever things are bitter (read here). The mantra tends to be, "Bitter? Just add sugar!" If you add sugar to almost everything then prepare for the consequences. These consequences can be extreme obesity, diabetes (and this can soon lead to severed limbs if it goes extreme), tooth decay, and other health problems related to excess sugar. The obsession with firecrackers can also lead to several health problems too. I guess some will be hospitalized by January 1 worrying about mounting bills.

Get Stuck with EDSA, End Up Like Nokia

Yes, we should never forget what history teaches us. A classmate of mine, back in high school, wrote a simple and blunt essay called "History: A Teacher". I doubt he still has a soft copy, given it was already more than 20 years ago. I'd like to quote Duterte critic Andrew James Masigan wrote this in Philippine Star --something that should remain relevant: I would never undervalue the 1987 Constitution. It dismantled the legal framework of a repressive regime and established the democratic institutions we enjoy today. For this, I am grateful. The 1987 Constitution was crafted with the best of intentions. It sought to put the Filipino first in all aspects of governance and to level the playing field amongst sectors and peoples. But it is far from perfect. It failed to consider the importance of foreign capital and technologies and the stiff competition we would have to face to obtain them. In short, its economic provisions were short-sighted . So despite the Constitut...

#SahodItaasPresyoIbaba Economics' Bad Accounting

I would like to apologize in advance to my readers. The picture I'm presenting is in Tagalog, and not all my readers speak Tagalog. I would translate the picture's text into English for convenience. It says: "Ano ang bumubuo sa mga presyo?" means "What comprises the price?" "Gastos ng materyales" means materials expense "Gastos sa kasangkapan" means depreciation expense ""Gastos sa pasahod" means salary expense "Kapitalista" means capitalist Renta is well, rent "Kayang pababain ang presyo" means "Prices can be lowered". It says that capitalists (industrialists, landlords, bankers) and elitist governments are part in the gross profit. Get rid of excise taxes (either permanently or temporarily) for the prices of goods and services. In the times of crisis, in the burden of sacrifices, we need to be watchful for capacity. Whatever savings for times of difficulty by the workers and countrymen, the...

Past Chinese School Education in the Philippines was Based on "Sǐ Jì Yìng Bèi"

Chinoys of my age (and older) may remember these textbooks. I called them as the "symbol of trauma". It was memorizing something without understanding it . One would just memorize (without understanding it) because it was typical. Not being able to memorize what was assigned? Get a bad grade? One can expect physical punishment like hitting the hand with a ruler or chili in the mouth. Chinese language teachers are stereotypically strict . The language textbooks (above) are what were used during the 1990s to the early 2000s. As I wrote it, the Sinjiang textbooks aren't effective in teaching Mandarin , in a world where Mandarin has over a billion speakers! There's a Chinese proverb that says, "死記硬背 sǐ jì yìng bèi" or "Memorize to the point of death". That's exactly what those textbooks are. Memorize to the point of death! Okay, it may sound exaggerated. However, that's how Chinese language teachers in the Philippines were made to teach the ...

Migrante International's Really Bad Economic Literacy

March 17 (which is tomorrow) seems to be an unofficial holiday for some people, right? I'm sickened that the late Flor Contemplacion has been treated like she's some national heroine (and thankfully, tomorrow isn't a holiday) even after Singapore had proven her guilt. A movie was made by Joel Lamangan called The Flor Contemplacion Story . The call for Migrante (Migrant) International has been to remember Flor even after several years. What's not too surprising was to learn that Flor's sons were all arrested for drug-related charges. Even her eldest son died while in prison. You have Migrante International wanting to end the labor export policy. However, a post by Migrante really shows how this group fails basic economics. I will not post the whole press statement but one part that made my eyes roll. >> Further opening the country’s economy to foreign ownership and control will worsen the exploitation of our people and the environment without creating a susta...

"Filipino First Policy" Has NO PLACE in the Rising Asian 21st Century

I guess nobody saw the Asian 21st Century coming, right? China was once a poor nation but look at it now. Vietnam was once a poor nation but look at it now. Singapore was once a poor nation but look at it now. The late great Lee Kuan Yew wrote his book From Third World to First . I'm afraid some people have been using it to go against the presidency of Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. while ignoring what else Lee Kuan Yew had to say. Lee Kuan Yew described the Filipino press to be rambunctious on pages 304-305 which I agree. I'm afraid that the Filipino press may have had a hand in getting rid of any economic or political reforms that could help the Philippines. Yet, one policy has been holding back the Philippines for decades and yes, it's the Filipino First Policy . Reviewing the Filipino First Policy and why it has no place in the rising Asian 21st century I remembered how the values education subject taught Carlos P. Garcia's stupid Filipino First Policy as a Filipino value...

Has Passing Down Hatred for Singapore (Because of Flor Contemplacion) Economically Helped the Philippines?

PEH.ph It was on March 17, 1995, when Flor Contemplacion was executed in Singapore. I've noticed that I've been addressing her as the late many times, even if the late is a statement that may be ony appropriate if the person has been recently deceased within 10 years. It's about to become 30 years since Flor was hanged in Singapore. However, generational hatred would've been passed down from 1995 up to 2025. Some people are still tagging #JusticeFor Flor. These traits may be passed down from the Batang 1990s to their children in this generation. It may also be passed down from parent to child, even if the child was born in the 2000s to 2010s. Somebody born in 2000s and beyond might even say, "Papa and mama told me about Flor Contemplacion! That's why I hate Singapore!" Talk about a child born in 2004 who's probably angry with Singapore, because his parents kept telling him about how Flor was supposedly "unjustly treated" over there. Some tim...

My First Taste of Sichuan at Yang Hero IT Park

I was doing some random historical study. One of the many things I recalled from Asian history class was the Chinese Communist Party in Sichuan. It's an interesting piece of historical detail that Mao Zedong (and other Chinese communists) were avid lovers of spicy food . Yang Hero had its first branch in Gaisano Tabunok. It opened a branch in IT Park last May 25, 2023 . The menus had Chinese translations. The establishment has made me realize the importance of learning Mandarin . True, I could order their food without speaking Mandarin. However, I still feel that the increasing number of Chinese businesses left and right would mean, "You may need to learn some Mandarin now to connect with more people in the world." For a bit of background, here's what I gathered from Sun Star Cebu: Evanmarie Mendoza, social media specialist at Yang Hero, said: “The Chinese barbecue is also a must-try for foodies as it differs from the regular ones that we typically have here in the P...

Tealive's Aren Caramel (Kaong Sugar Caramel) Series

I usually tend to associate sugar with cane sugar. In this case, Tealive (read my review here ) uses a sugar known as gula aren. I did some research and found out that Gula Aren is made from the sap of the sugar palm tree. The fruit is also known as kaong in the Filipino language. Granted, the Filipino language also derives from the Malaysian and Indonesian languages--it may be derived from the Indonesian word kolang kaling . The Philippines may also be producing its own gula aren or palm sugar. Sugar palm or kaong is pretty much grown as a staple in Filipino cooking too. Here's a video from an Indonesian woman. Watching this, it's safe to assume that kaong farmers in the Philippines follow more or less the same routine. Maybe, some people may call it latik though latik is made from coconut milk and not coconut sap. Though, some Filipinos may still call palm sugar as latik. The video above also shows an Indonesian binignit with some kaong. I was shocked to learn kaong is also u...

Getting Stingy at the Cost of Fire Safety?

March is fire prevention month, right? If there are people who are too extravagant then I'd like to talk again about stingy people (read the article here ). I've tried growing up with the stingy vs. extravagant extremes. Some people become stingy even with the necessities. It's one thing to deny a child a children's party since it's a want . It's another thing to deny a child stuff they need all in the name of saving money . Even worse, some people may be more than stingy enough to ignore fire safety. A stingy person just wants to save. It's almost like the story of the Miser and His Gold or The Rich Miser . I really find these stories entertaining at the same time, irritating. The first story has the miser who hid his gold under the ground. Some people today are too distrustful of banks and investments. The second story has a rich man who even dresses in rags, denies his son's shoes, had his wife cook some cake only for him, and was so greedy he had it ...

Started to Invest in the ATRAM Global Equity Opportunity Feeder Fund

It's time to begin a new road into investing. I went from a moderate risk taker to a moderately aggressive risk taker. Of course, I need to be careful with how much money I invest or I don't invest the money that I need. I believe that one could start by investing 15% to 20% of one's income. Basically, it's money that's not needed now. Fortune Recommends gives this ideal sweet spot: Many of the experts we spoke with suggested, as a general rule, to invest a set percentage of your after-tax income. Although that percentage can vary depending on your income, savings, and debts. “ Ideally, you’ll invest somewhere around 15%–25% of your post-tax income, ” says Mark Henry, founder and CEO at Alloy Wealth Management. “If you need to start smaller and work your way up to that goal, that’s fine. The important part is that you actually start.” Some budgeting strategies account for this, such as the 50/30/20 budgeting strategy, which breaks your monthly budget into three ca...

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