Shaun T. Dy's Business & Economics Perspective Blog

  Here's some news that I failed to catch up with. The news that Filipino actor Jole Torre is opening JT's Manukan in Singapore can be a source of Pinoy Pride. Yes, it's something that I, as a Filipino, can be proud of not myself as a Filipino, but of my fellow Filipino . Just as Jollibee made me jolly with furthering relations between Singapore and the Philippines, I believe Torre's business opening in Singapore should make me jolly too. Harimanok Inc., franchise company of JT’s Manukan Grille, announced that it has finalized a joint venture agreement with food court operator Asian Food Mall for the opening of a new outlet in Singapore in May 2024 . The new international store will be located at Asian Food Mall in Lucky Plaza mall along Orchard Road. Lucky Plaza has proven to be one of the most successful shopping centers in Singapore . Joel Torre, veteran Filipino actor and indie film producer/director and Harimanok, Inc. CEO said: “ We are excited to represent the i

  It's fascinating (and annoying) that people want to get rich quick. The bad news is it's easy come and easy go. People do all sorts of crazy stuff trying to get rich quick. Back in 2022 while repairs after the Odette disaster were done, I wrote an article about not investing while having a gambling addiction . Some people may have pulled their money out of the index funds and played Axie Infinity trying to make a quick buck. Some people got into cryptocurrency with the same hopes of getting rich quick fast. Before cryptocurrencies and  Axie Infinity , the lottery ticket has been treated like a "golden ticket". When I mention "golden ticket", some people may have seen the classic Willie Wonka movie where each child had a golden ticket. Only one of the children could inherit the main character's candy factory.  It makes me laugh (and cringe) that people waste their money on the lottery ticket. A wife can complain about her husband buying lottery tickets

Unsurprisingly,  The Flor Contemplacion Story was uploaded a month ago. I wrote that there's a possible political motive behind the film getting uploaded on YouTube . That's why I even wrote a review against the film after I rewatched it in HD . It's no surprise that Migrante International is inducing its own migraines. The evidence against Flor was already overwhelming, as presented by the Singaporean court . Do these people act as if there was no injustice in the Philippines? What about how the Vizconde Massacre was handled where, until now, the real perpetrators have not been found? Two years after Flor's execution, the Chiong Sisters case arrested the wrong people,  and a doubtful Supreme Court of the Philippines' decision was released. Yes, a murder happened in all three cases. Singapore convicted the real killer of the slayings of Delia Maga and Nicholas Huang. Meanwhile, the Philippines had wrongly convicted Hubert Jeffry P. Webb (whose 15 years were wasted)

Two days ago, Migrante International may have given me a migraine with their global petitio n. Migrante has branches where OFWs are working. Hypocritically, Migrante opposes FDIs while they get the advice of Irene Khan, a foreigner . Back on topic, I would like to share their petition from their own page, and man I do have a migraine reading it:  “Our hard-earned foreign remittances prop up the indentured economy from total collapse yet the vultures in Malacañang and Congress are blind and deaf from our demands for government protection, services and decent jobs. Instead, they are hell bent on ensuring that they will continue to rule even after the six years limit imposed by the 1987 Constitution. Listening to the orders of their foreign masters, and political patrons, t hey want to further open the gates of the nation to be plundered by foreign monopolies, big mining firms, commercial loggers, and allow our lands, mines and resources to be pillaged by foreigners . That is why they wan

As the talk about economic charter change continues, I would like to point to the claim by Rep. France Castro of the ACT Partylist . Her claim says economic charter change or econ cha-cha will allegedly worsen inflation. What's the point with Castro? I will share this excerpt from The Inquirer : The IBON Foundation has rightly pointed out that if foreigners dominate our educational institutions, media, utilities, and other essential needs such as food, energy, and resources, it will not only infringe upon our fundamental rights but also jeopardize our ability to ensure our own interests are protected,” Castro said. She also stressed that the cost of living is already high , even without foreign dominance in the economy. The public should also be wary of pro-big business and pro-foreign policies such as privatization, deregulation, and liberalization, which, according to Castro, burden poor Filipino consumers . “We also cannot overlook the potential consequences of foreign goods an

  Some time ago, I wrote a review of The Flor Contemplacion Story . The movie was uploaded on February 13, 2024, last month. The movie was most likely uploaded on VIVA Films' YouTube Channel as a reaction against charter change, better yet known as constitutional reform. Migrante International was involved with the movie, where Ms. Nora Aunor won an award for best actress. For all the good acting the film has, the real content is just plain garbage.  I rewatched the film in HD. However, putting the film in HD can't change the fact it's not worth the watch. That's unless you want to debunk it. The film is probably used to defend the late Flor's "innocence" even after the results of the superb Singaporean justice system . It was also in the 1990s when Hubert Webb was wrongfully accused of the Vizconde Massacre when he was really in America at that time. 15 years of Hubert's life wasted. More than 15 years is also wasted trying to defend Flor's innoce

What I should have noticed is that on February 16, 2024, Jollibee was named the  second fasting restaurant . Yes, you read it right, and here's an excerpt from the Philippine Star :  Jollibee said its recent opening in Canada, the brand’s 100th store in North America, forms part of the group’s aggressive expansion plan for 2024. “ Being ranked as the second fastest growing brand in the world validates the effective work of all the leaders and teams of Jollibee – past and present –  whose commitment to the brand and its customers has helped drive the brand’s sustained growth over the years ,” Jollibee Group president and CEO Ernesto Tanmantiong said. Brand Finance’s latest annual brand ranking report showed that Jollibee surged by 51 percent to $2.3 billion in brand value, rising to rank 17 from rank 20 in this year’s Global Restaurant Rankings . It also landed fifth place in the strongest restaurant brand category, with its rating improving to AAA from AA- . Further, Jollibee was t