Shaun T. Dy's Business & Economics Perspective Blog

The battle for or against economic liberalization has been going on for years. Back then, I remembered the Filipino First Policy and how it was taught in values education (read here ). With March, it's very easy to remember the late Flor Contemplacion, whom Migrante (Migrant) International (or some people on Facebook gave them the nickname  Migraine International ) still has declared as some kind of heroine (read here ). Migrante International (which has branches around the world, ironically ) has also shared several ideals that are really declared failures yet they still insist on them. They have been demanding for "Trabaho sa Pinas, hindi sa labas." (Jobs in the Philippines, not abroad). Yet, one big question that I'd like to ask as an MBA graduate (though I'm no longer planning to pursue a doctorate) is this, "Do these groups demanding jobs for Filipinos, instead of abroad, provide local employment." A look at the economic nonsense arguments of Filipi

It's been some time since I reviewed a restaurant, right? I've been to IT Park in Cebu City a few times after the pandemic. Last Sunday noon, after going to church, I ate at this new establishment called Hwang Geum Seong at The Walk in IT Park. That would be right across Calyx Building. The presence of both Chinese characters and Korean characters shows it's a fusion between Chinese and Korean. Well, Chinese and Korean food can be similar yet different. In my case, I'm actually a fan of Korean food for some time now. The Mandarin would be read as Huángjīn Chéng (please refer to a pinyin table to avoid misreading it). The literal meaning is Golden City.  There was the limited mix-and-match which reminds me of eating at Mingnan Cuisine in Plaridel, Cebu City. Mingnan Chinese Cuisine presented its trademark mix and match. Meanwhile, the Minnan Seafood Restaurant in Jamestown, Cebu City, Philippines, (read here ) devotes itself to ala carte. I decided to try the limited mix

It's just funny that I heard from a certain someone that Israel has a restrictive economy. Again, do they know the difference between certain economic restrictions and excessive restrictions? It's annoying when highly educated people are the ones making stupid statements. I even ran into a certain old man (and I hope he gets better soon) who tried to use Israel's restrictions to say that economic charter change isn't needed. Did he even know that the late Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III also made important amendments to the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines' negative list?  If we're looking at Israel's budgetary control, let's check the Sustainable Governance Indicators website to find Israel's restrictions. Yes, economies do have their restrictions since free trade without constraint can be dangerous: Israel’s fiscal policy is characterized by rather strict budgetary discipline, which is maintained by the significant power of the Ministry of Financ

As talks for constitutional reform is on, Hilario G. Davide Jr.'s quotes on the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines are posted on Facebook. It's an irony that Davide Jr. was once a  UN  diplomat. Again,  UN  as in  United Nations . Then he has the nerve to say that the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines is the "only constitution" that he knows that is pro-God, pro-Filipino, pro-people, pro-poor, pro-life, pro-family, pro-marriage, pro-human rights, pro-women, pro-environment among others. That alone made me laugh because the moment I heard it, I said, "Huh? Has he even bothered to read other constitutions?" The only pro-environment constitution? Please, Singapore has had better environmental laws. Don't tell me that other countries aren't pro-life or what? I wonder what even led him to say that statement? It's at that point that made me ask, "Does Davide Jr. know how to bring the Philippines into the emerging Asian century?" People a

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

It's March 17 tomorrow and I remember three years ago, it was the 25th death anniversary of Flor Contemplacion. The whole event to honor her so-called martyrdom in Singapore came to a halt. If there's any country that I name as a starting point  for constitutional reform, it's Singapore. I bought the book of the late Lee Kuan Yew namely From Third World to First to gain insights. I doubt I'll ever publish anything that big. Whenever I mention Singapore, I tend to get an answer where I'm insulted severely by a statement like, "Are you crazy? Are you a moron? Have you forgotten Singapore hanged Flor Contemplacion unjustly?" Then I ask for their sources and there's the tendency to point me over to sources like "Just trust me, bro." or "Why don't you watch The Flor Contemplacion Story ?"  The narrative has been that Flor, a Filipino maid was wrongfully executed in Singapore. It was in 1995 and it was a very ironic year. It was that

As talks against liberating the Philippine economy further  on, I'm afraid that some people talking against it are also highly educated . I guess having a high education doesn't always make one street-smart, right? I did pursue an MBA without buying my degree. However, just seeing people with MBAs and even doctorates write stupid stuff should be no surprise. That's why I really have no plans to pursue a doctorate in business administration any longer. This isn't to discriminate or discourage education. However, this is to point out that something is very wrong with the Philippine education system. In short, the Philippine education system needs a massive overhaul.  I was Googling the name of an Indian Singaporean named Kishore Mahbubani for updates. I remembered how I wrote an article where I compared him to Atty. Hilario G. Davide Jr.   An article from the South China Morning Post written by Alex Lo talks about ASEAN's opportunity . The Philippines is part of the A

The Epoch Times As talks about the need for more economic freedom in the Philippines is on, some people are still saying that, "No, we need 60-40!" Well, one might need to view the film Mao's Last Dancer (or read the book written by the author himself, Li Cunxin) to understand a Chinese man's travel to the United States of America (USA). Li himself was the sixth son of a family of seven. Having been born in 1961, he would've passed through the harsh regime of Mao Zedong. Mao ruled China until his death in 1976 which soon paved for Deng Xiaoping's takeover. Before Deng took over, Mao was succeeded by Hua Guofeng who was soon replaced by Deng. Deng understood economics upon his trip to America. The focus of the film (and the book) is Li, a dancer, who was selected at a very young age. Communism likes starting their cadets young, right? They were selected by the ruthless Madame Mao, Mao's final wife before he finally succumbed to death. Madame Mao's recor