Skip to main content

JT's Manukan Grille Opening in Singapore is PROOF That Filipino Businesses Can Survive in Economic Charter Change

 

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 inasal in Singapore because the city-state is a significant socio-cultural and food hub. The move is in line with our vision to make JT’s a global brand, serving Filipino regional food to our kababayan expats and people of other nationalities as well.”

Wong Ban Ming, managing director of Asian Food Mall said: “We are excited for the arrival of JT’s Manukan Grille to the vibrant and diverse food scene in Singapore. Together with Joel Torre, we look forward to satisfying the taste buds of the locals and the Filipino community here, bringing the authentic taste of Bacolod Chicken Inasal to the Lion City.”

This is JT’s Manukan Grille’s second venture internationally. The restaurant opened a branch in Guam in 2019 but had to close shop at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

Their Singapore store will be its first foray in Southeast Asia and the company sees it as a springboard for growth around the region.

Wong the managing director, instead, shares excitement with Torre working with him. It's because Asian Food Mall would serve as a blending pot for Asian cultures. Singapore has a Malaysian community, an Indian community, and a Chinese community. Wong's words don't bring nervousness about a Filipino investor. Instead, the way he said that he's actually excited to see Singaporeans try more Filipino food. Torre is there in Singapore as an investor and not as an invader. 

If Kishore Mahbubani (read his lessons that Filipinos must learn here) were to make a statement about it, he would say, "Let the Filipino companies invest in Singapore. If Filipinos can give more jobs to Singaporeans, so be it." The late Lee Kuan Yew didn't want to remove OFWs because he saw their value. That's why it's better to listen to Mahbubani over Atty. Hilario G. Davide Jr. Davide Jr. only spoke nonsense about FDIs. Mahbubani saw their potential and I don't think he'd mind if his fellow faculty members ate at JT's Manukan Grill. Chances are that Mahbubani may even shake hands with Torre. Mahbubani might even whisper to Torre, "Tell Davide that Singapore progressed also from accepting FDIs." 


Here's Migrante International's migraine of an argument on Facebook. I'm going to translate the words here for the sake of non-Tagalog speakers:
They say, If we further open up the Philippines to foreign direct investment (FDI), the jobs will multiply in the country. There will be no more OFWs.

Answer: Foreigners don't wish to give progress to the local economy. They are stopping the Philippine industries' progress because they don't want competition. If cha-cha continues, they will keep salaries low and anti-worker policies in the countries. That would mean there will be more Filipinos forced to become OFWs in other countries. 
The logic is surely baffling. I wonder if this was made in response to Torre's plan to open up in Singapore? Every year, they still mourn for the late Flor Contemplacion, a woman convicted of murder (read here). This kind of talk is nothing more than pessimism. I shared quotes from LKY's book From Third World to First but they simply replied with articles from the IBON Foundation The IBON Foundation is highly biased in its fact-finding. When I asked them to cite a country that got rich through protectionism, I felt they just dropped their jaws and couldn't answer. They keep citing the IBON Foundation which I believe is purposely misrepresenting what FDIs are all about (read here), all the while Rosario Guzman shows off her MacPRO. I wonder if Migrante did this move on purpose because they can't imagine a Filipino business opening in the land that executed Flor for murder. Until now, some Filipinos still hate Singapore believing that Flor was a victim of injustice. 

To go further, don't tell me JT's Manukan Grille was protected all its life. JT's Manukan Grille has to face off against the likes of Kenny Roger's Roasters, which is an FDI. Jollibee faced off against Wendy's and McDonald's, both are FDIs. Bo's Coffee Club still faces off against Starbucks, Chatime, and Tealive, all of which are FDIs. Jollibee is now an MNC. JT's Manukan Grille might become a fast-growing Filipino food brand in Southeast Asia. Torre's success against similar competitors proves it's innovate or perish. Any restrictions on FDI applied must be rules like the fair competition act, needing identification papers, paying their landlords, and paying taxes according to Philippine law. FDIs will still be bound to Philippine laws. Torre will be found to Singaporean laws. That's why I want to yell at Atty. Neri Colmenares that he's living with oudated ideals.

For Torre's business, hopefully it will grow to be one of the fastest growing Filipino MNCs. Filipinos are capable of innovation and the like. The problem is that decades of Filipino First Policy had held Filipinos back. Pinoy Pride Economics has only held the Philippines back (read here). That's why I support econ cha-cha because I know Filipinos like Torre, can certainly show MNCs that they can survive competition. 
Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

#SahodItaasPresyoIbaba Economics' Understanding of How Gasoline Prices Work

International State College of the Philippines Today is Flor Contempacion Day , and rallies are expected. However, whether it's Flor's death anniversary or not, rallies are expected for the wrongest of reasons. I would like to address this photo from the International State College of the Philippines' Facebook page. The demands here are rather clunky and stupid. We have the following demands that would naturally clash with each other, such as: No to the oil deregulation law while demanding lower oil prices. This is simply ignoring the basic fundamentals of economics, namely the law of supply and demand . They say that oil companies are greedy for gain. These rallyists probably don't really understand the difference between revenues and profits . Let's understand the Oil Deregulation Law  The Oil Deregulation Law, or the Republic Act No. 8479 , passed on February 10, 1998, under the late Fidel Valdez Ramos. Here's how the liberalization works: CHAPTER II  LIBERAL...
Read more

"Will #SahodItaasPresyoIbaba Economics Lower Philippine Gas Prices?

Inquirer Gasoline prices have increased again, haven't they?  A few days ago, I wrote  why #SahodItaasPresyoIbaba's view of gas prices is questionable . Today, I feel like writing this after several complaints on Facebook. I would like to create a follow-up post. People are complaining too much without understanding the real reason why some countries have lower prices of gasoline. Real talk. We need to talk about economic policies,  and  of course, please do a study on supply-demand analysis  on supply chain management . Let's examine the complaints made by Bulatlat Bulatlat Here's a chart from Bulatlat that compares the increase in prices of gasoline between the Philippines, Thailand, and Malaysia. It's always problematic when people ignore simple economics. It's funny, but Bulatlat mentions this on their website: Note also how expensive our diesel and gasoline products are compared to those of our ASEAN neighbors. The estimated common price today of diesel in...
Read more

Is Jollibee "Invading" South Korea Now as It's About to Acquire 70% of Shabu All Day?

I must confess that I find this new rather hilarious . It's because the word shabu is often associated with drugs. All the while, shabu shabu is a Korean delicacy! Well, I'm going to say that Jollibee Foods Corporation has now become a multinational buyer . Jollibee acquired 70% of Compost Coffee back in 2024 . This year, Jollibee as a multinational corporation is now acquiring Shabu All Day for PHP 5.1 billion pesos. Is Jollibee checkmating South Korea or is the Philippines conquering South Korea not just by OFWs but als through Jollibee? The answer is still no. From GMA News , we can read this article by Jon Viktor D. Cabuenas: Under the deal, Shabu All Day will be consolidated into Jollibee Foods Corp.’s (JFC) financial statements immediately upon completion of the acquisition for a total consideration equivalent to KRW127 billion. Completion of the transaction is subject to closing and financing conditions. The acquisition is expected to lead to a 2% jump in revenues, incre...
Read more

Migrante International: Still Mourning for the Late Flor Contemplacion While Sticking to Third-World Development Economics

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) ...
Read more

The Good Old Days when Gasoline was Cheaper Under the Late Noynoy Aquino

Millennials' Voice I would like to clarify first and foremost that this post isn't an attempt to say that the late Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III's legacy was all bad. Some good things happened. However, let me be clear that it's stupid to say, " We don't need economic cha-cha because of the late Noynoy. " However, let me clear that I decided to write this because of a Facebook post called Millennials' Voice , which wrote this: Did you know that during President Noynoy Aquino's time, the price of oil in the world market was high, between $100 and $110 per barrel. But even with those high prices, gasoline and diesel at local pumps in the country were still relatively affordable.  Under President Duterte, world oil prices went up and down, from a low of $41 to a high of $101 per barrel. The big jump to $101 in 2022 happened because of the war between Russia and Ukraine.   Now, under the current president, world oil prices have gone up again to around $...
Read more