Business & Economics Perspective Blogger

Bilyonaryo News Channel It's time for me to address IBON Foundation yet again. I often receive comments that I'm not an economist like the IBON Foundation writers. I can cite authoritative sources to support my criticism. It's easy to accuse me of ad hominem. However, I'm focusing on the argument of IBON because how can an economic think-tank even keep suggesting proven,  outdated economic plans? Recently, the Bilyonaryo News Channel has featured Jose Enrique "Sonny" Africa. Here's something that Africa said that Lee Kuan Yew would've called third-world  mentality : “ We have to get over this thinking that foreign capital will save us ,” he said. “We also have to get over this thinking that we can’t produce enough food and therefore have to import everything. More household purchasing power means more aggregate demand. More aggregate demand means a bigger market for Filipino agriculture and Filipino industry. If Filipino agriculture and Filipino indus...

Bongbong Marcos' Facebook Page It's June 12, and it's time for Philippine Independence Day. Given that today is a Friday , it's an Independence Day long weekend . I was thinking about not writing anything today, but the IBON Foundation wrote an entry called "Still Dreaming of Freedom" , which is built on the Filipino First Policy . I would be writing this Philippine Independence Day post to talk about economic interdependence . In 2024, I wrote a post where I discussed that Philippine Independence Day doesn't mean rejecting FDI altogether .  Wait, isn't FDI a form of neocolonialism? For a start, FDI isn't neocolonialism. To understand, Britannica defines neocolonialism as: neocolonialism , the control of less-developed countries by developed countries through indirect means . The term neocolonialism was first used after World War II to refer to t he continuing dependence of former colonies on foreign countries, but its meaning soon broadened to ap...

Updated: April 21, 2026 Some time ago, I wrote about why I don't trust the IBON Foundation as an "economic think-tank" . I remember getting a lot of insults (and I've decided to block such people), telling me stuff like, "What have you done for the Philippines compared to IBON?" or "What about your mass base?" There's also that 88% survey result from Pulse Asia, which I heard has a very biased sampling size. Regardless, it's important to speak out facts and figures even if only one percent believes it and 99% doesn't! As I was looking to challenge myself in writing, I thought of challenging IBON's ongoing stance on the wealth tax. They had an article written in 2023. It's all about taxing the super wealthy . Is it good or bad? It's time to think about it.  Differentiating income from net worth Here's a sample of what IBON had written: A billionaire wealth tax can substitute for many consumption taxes that disproportionat...

If there's one thing I can say, after many years in business school, is that the Philippine education system sucks . How can one be an economist and think of economic protectionism and national industrialization as keys to progress? That can be said about development economists even in the best schools in the Philippines . The IBON Foundation made this meme above (and take that #FactCheckPH is using it as a source) to say that charter change is bad. It's a Slippery Slope argument where one assumes that any amendment in the "sacred" 1987 Constitution of the Philippines (never mind that Article XVII is ever-present, meaning it's open for amendments and not set in stone ) would automatically be bad. If they continue to use the first Marcos Administration as a reason to say no to charter change--they better answer why was a new constitution needed to replace the 1973 Constitution of the Philippines. I may have confused national industrialization with the nationalizati...

Some time ago, I wrote about why I can't take IBON Foundation seriously . As the battle for economic charter change is on, I believe it's time to tackle them again. They're tweeting here and there. Okay, I'm no researcher or organization. However, it doesn't mean that I can't do some basic research, share the research of others, and read other books. Even an intellectually stupid person can actually make sense if they gather the best materials. I even recall someone I know who's not intelligent but he actually spoke well about career opportunities, in the very school where he wasn't performing well! Trying to understand IBON's data presentation  I would like to address how IBON Foundation presents FDI growth. They would say stuff such as the claim job creation weakened despite FDI growth .  I was looking at IBON Foundation's claim (above) where it says that job creation allegedly weakened despite FDI inflows. Sure, they named sources but do they ...

Feeling the heat wave today is really something. I tend to take antihistamine tablets every now and then due to prickly heat. The post above was towards the end of the year. As a business school graduate (and with an MBA on top of it), I feel the need not to heed the IBON Foundation (read why here ). I even wrote a post as to why I can't take their executive director Sonny Africa's statement about FDIs seriously . Their continued quest for national industrialization, their destructive obsession with ayudas meaning cash handouts (read here ), and the Filipino First Policy make me cringe.  The recent narrative on agriculture is this. Just reading Africa's statement reminds me I wrote an article about eating rotten meat . The question that I asked is would anti-business, anti-FDI Filipinos want to eat rotten meat in an isolationist Philippines. I shared the comment on the now-defunct Philippine Anti-Fascist League Facebook page (they made a second one but it's so inactive)...

I guess I can't always engage in direct debate especially if these protectionist think tanks belong to elite schools . Sadly, I wasn't qualified to enter the University of the Philippines (UP) or Ateneo De Manila University (ADMU). I was reading through IBON Foundation and found this statement about foreign investments by its executive director , Sonny Africa: Investors   The obsession with foreign investment as if it’s some kind of magic bullet for development is also expected. Even as BSP governor, the incoming finance secretary has been among the strongest advocates of the Retail Trade Liberalization Act (RTLA), Foreign Investment Act (FIA), and Public Service Act (PSA) amendments. He echoes relentless hype that these are somehow “game-changing” reforms. He also recently gushed about how these will make the country a “preferred investment destination” and “sustain growth”. The rest of the team are of the same mind. The incoming planning secretary, trade and industry secreta...

It's one thing to criticize presidents for their performance. It's another without analyzing the data. Sure, we need to study mathematics but the way it's presented can be a reason why it's hated. I felt that high school mathematics focused too much on numbers. Mathematics, in all its aspects, is part of life. Trigonometry is part of life. Calculus is part of life. Statistics is part of life. Speaking of statistics, I was thinking about how IBON Foundation has given its assessment of Duterte's administration. This isn't to say that outgoing President Rodrigo R. Duterte hasn't made mistakes. Rather, this is to point out how IBON Foundation has that tendency to be illogical. IBON Foundation (click to enlarge) This data by IBON Foundation was gathered. I'm not saying that the figures are lies or manipulated. My problem with how IBON Foundation works is their failure to account for the cause and effect  more often than not.  Malaya Business Insight It's ...