It's ABSURD to Say That Delays in VP Sara's Impeachment Trial will "Turn Off FDI"

I would say it as it is that this impeachment process is potentially a waste of time. That's why I've been an advocate for the Philippines to go for the parliamentary form of government. If we were in a parliamentary system, Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio would've been subjected to a vote of no confidence. In short, if Sara loses, she loses and she would need to step down.

Moving on, I recently read that the Makati Business Club said delaying Sara's impeachment trial, could turn off political investors. Some time ago, someone even said that nobody would want to invest in the Philippines, because of a political dynasty. Please, don't tell me that the late former president Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" C. Aquino wasn't part of a political dynasty! We blame everything except the nonsense 60-40 restrictions! We blame it solely on government corruption, never mind that the 60-40 policy is also something loved by corrupt politicians!

The Makati Business Club is barking at the wrong tree. Some people might say I'm just talking nonsense because I'm just on Blogspot (and I don't expect them to respect me, even if I do secure a domain for this blog), or that I'm not a member of the oligarchs. Whatever, why don't we just focus on the facts? Saying that delaying Sara's impeachment trial could turn off FDIs from investing, is just absurd. If we think about it, the Philippines and Indonesia are both at par with corruption scores. However, Indonesia has become more preferable for FDI.

Radio Free Asia

Something I need to bring up is Vietnam. Vietnam is a one-party state. Some time ago, I wrote about General-Secretary To Lam eating a gold steak, while he was the defense minister. We never saw (insert president) eat a gold steak like that in the Philippines. I could consider To Lam's move as a act of corruption, bragging he would eat a gold-crusted steak! Vietnamese activist Bui Tuan Lam was even arrested by the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) for mocking To Lam. Vietnam is still a dictatorial state. However, the major irony is that investors fly over to Communist Vietnam. Some Filipinos blamed a lack of investment on Atty. Leila de Lima's arrest. However, Tuan Lam got arrested over a petty offense (and he's serving a five-year sentence), but that didn't deter FDIs overall! Why is Vietnam still doing better despite being a Communist state?!

The answer lies with the FDI policy of Vietnam over the Philippines (read here). Vietnam's negative list is so short that it's almost negligible. Hopefully, the CPV will vote to allow foreign banks to own 100% shares. Meanwhile, the Philippines is still obsessed with the "Filipino First Policy", which can potentially lead to the Philippines last. For the nth time, who in the right mind is ever going to rent a space if they have to give up 60% of their ownership to the lessor (read here)? Vietnam still has its controversies with corruption. However, it has still invited investors over.

The whole issue is not understanding simple economics. Was China far cleaner than the Philippines when the late Deng Xiaoping invited investors over? The Tiananmen Square was a big blot in Chinese history. Vietnam doesn't have a good record with Human Rights Watch either. However, these two, don't have the ridiculous 60-40 policy, like the Philippines does. In short, the statement made by the MBC is really making me ask, "Are you sure you people understand basic economics?"

The Irony the Philippines Starts the Christmas Season in September BUT Many Filipinos Love Last-Minute Christmas Shopping

Uproxx As Christmas is just around the corner--I feel more stress coming in! It doesn't help when people try to use the late Andy Williams' "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" to try and skip the problem. It's already known that most Filipinos love to start Christmas in September . However, the irony is that Filipinos start Christmas early but do their Christmas shopping late. If they began the Christmas Season early, shouldn't they think about what to do before December strikes? Two years ago, I wrote a post discussing last-minute Christmas shopping . Many Filipinos tend to do last-minute Christmas shopping. They had all of November (when the Christmas sale usually begins) but why do the Christmas shopping in December ? One of the things I blame is the one-day paycheck lifestyle (see here ). It can be observed that many Filipinos never learn to prioritize more important things . One can get their stars when they see their paychecks. However, the...

Is Christmas Toxic Positivity a Cause or an Effect of the Philippines' Lack of Progress?

Lessandra When it's Christmas, it's so easy to think of the song of the late Andy Williams, "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year". The music itself reeks of toxic positivity, whether one likes it or not. It's a shame, really, because December 20 was also the anniversary of Asia's Titanic, the sinking of the Doña Paz ! We live in a society that somehow never learns from its mistakes, like a person who's stuck in gambling debt, is still hoping to get rich gambling . Despite all that, Christmas toxic positivity still abounds in the Philippines. We still have a lot of ongoing bad habits, such as starting Christmas in September and then doing last-minute Christmas shopping during the week of Christmas. That's why every time I drive on the road on Christmas, I tend to shout, "Isn't it any wonder why the Philippines never improves?" The term Noche Buena has evolved over time . For some, it's simply the Christmas dinner. However, so...

Christmas Toxic Positivity May Be Your Biggest Holiday Financial Killer

Christmas is just around the corner, isn't it? It's easy to tell me, "Stop being a Scrooge! Lighten up! It's Christmas!" Some people can't tell the difference between positivity and when positivity becomes toxic . If you think about it, toxic positivity is defined as: ...the belief that people should maintain a positive mindset no matter how dire or difficult a situation is. While there are benefits to being optimistic and engaging in positive thinking, toxic positivity rejects all difficult emotions in favor of a cheerful and often falsely positive façade . Every time I talk about Christmas foolishness (read here ), it's always pointed out that I love being negative. Honestly, there are times I'd rather be negative than to be overly positive. I always talk about mentioning the silly notions that my countrymen have like, "If the situation is bitter, just add sugar (read here )." In Cebuano, it's said, "Kung pait, butangi lang ug asu...

Davide vs. Mahathir: Which Lolo Should Filipinos Take Economic Advice From?

The real issue isn't that something is old or new. Instead, if something old or new still works, or doesn't work! Many modern laws are built on some ancient principles, while adjusting to the current times! The Constitution of Japan is actually older than the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines. However, it's more effective for the reasons that (1) their constitution is silent when it comes to regulating economic activities (ex., protectionist measures), and (2) it's a parliamentary system. Honestly, it's a pretty straightforward constitution compared to ours! As Mahatir Mohamad turned 100 today, I would like to raise up Atty. Hilario G. Davide Jr. once again. The problem isn't Davide's age but his unwillingness to embrace change when needed (read here ). This time, it's time to bring up a contrast between wise old people and unwise old people. A young person can be right where the old person is wrong. A young person can be wiser because he or she lea...

Can Anti-FDI Proponents Prove Their Claim That Economic Liberalization Will Just Benefit the Filipino Oligarchs?

The same old narration has been made over and over again . I'd dare say that the narration out the Facebook pages of the likes of Atty. Teddy Casiño, Atty. Neri Colmenares, Kabataan Partylist, League of Filipino Students, Migrante International, IBON Foundation, etc. are more or less the same. It's already a broken record based on the facts that they've been refuted. I've read the book From Third World to First . I guess Migrante International hates that book because Singapore is often associated with the execution of Flor Contemplacion, at least on their watch. What they're doing is nothing more than still hating Japan, Germany, and Italy because of the Second World War. I'm not surprised at another lie that's often repeated--economic liberalization (or 100% FDI shares ownership) will only benefit the oligarchs . I guess it'll be easy to nail on me because I'm not a summa cum laude and Rep. Raoul Abellar Manuel is and he's a graduate of the Uni...

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