Business & Economics Perspective Blogger

As debate rages about Pax Silica, from outright opposition to taking a negotiated stance , I want to write more about it. This time, I decided to look again at the IBON Foundation's logic. A recent article by the IBON Foundation, written by Jose Enrique "Sonny" Africa , asks, " Whose industrialization is it anyway? " It would be time to tackle what IBON just said. This is a rather daring move because the highest educational attainment I have is an MBA, and I'm even starting to wonder even today, "Was my MBA worth the fee?" because I only learned how to invest in foreign stocks while opening a GCash account because I wanted to order shawarma. Right now, I feel like I'm actually learning more blogging here than pursuing a PhD whic might make my brain rot due to how schools prioritize grades over learning.  Now, going on to the topic, I'd like ot focus on Africa's logic here as an average citizen . Just because I didn't graduate in eco...

No gossip, no hearsay, face-to-face debates, liars are slapped in the parliamentary system! Right now, it's best to look at both sides of the equation. We don't want to automatically say, "No to Pax Silica!" or "Yes to Pax Silica!" without understanding that, "Can we have Pax Silica with these adjustments?" I was thinking about how being for or against Pax Silica isn't purely black and white . I discourage thinking in black and white thinking, like how Makabayan Bloc deals with Pax Silica. I would like to write this post to show why the Philippines needs to go for the parliamentary system instead of the usual status quo.  And also a warning to those who keep insisting that " But Marcos Years were parliamentary! " need to try telling that to the real parliamentary countries like Singapore and Malaysia!  Unfortunately, under the presidential system , the very thing that Rep. Atty. Jose Manuel "Chel" Diokno has said about Pax S...

Yes, it's official, and it's sad. Recently, the Philippines has had  the highest electricity rate in Asia. Right now, I feel like that, even as a casual blogger, I still feel the need to react to current events. After all, this is a business and economics perspective blog . Now, going back to the topic, the Philippine Star (the blatant source of the picture above addresses the issue.  The blow was even felt in the Visayas, with Southern Leyte Electric Cooperative recording the highest on-grid residential rate at P16.57 per kilowatt hours (kWh), 32 percent up from a month ago’s P12.53 per kWh. Manila Electric Co., the country’s biggest power distribution utility that serves Metro Manila and nearby provinces, was also among the top distribution utilities with high rates. In June, its residential rate reached P14.48 per kWh. It's annoying, but social media comments can show downright economic ignorance  As always, I will not directly shame people, but their comments . In fa...

Updated on: July 18, 2026 Last July 7, 2026, I read an article from ABS-CBN called " A tale of two economies: Why the Philippines now lags Vietnam ". I found the art above on Facebook; perhaps it's AI art that shows the Philippines lagging behind Vietnam. The Philippines used ot be ahead, but what happened? Speaking of ABS-CBN, I'm still reminded of how the network has the tendency to be hostile to constitutional reform. Now, putting that aside, I'd like to share an excerpt from the article, for a start: The Philippine Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev) admitted that the Philippines has been on a slow growth pace for the past decades. Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said many ASEAN neighbors have outgrown the country, including Vietnam. “If you’re asking why we are poor, the big part of the story is the country has not grown as fast as our neighbors,” Balisacan said. Comparing the Philippines to other ASEAN neighbors, Singapore’s GNI per capita ...

It's time for another Throwback Thursdays post. It's often how irritation can sometimes give me inspiration . I want to think about the problem with boomers. I was thinking about how, as a millennial, I can navigate life with some boomers who are open-minded (even if they still use boomer talk, such as "When I was your age," which can be irritating but can be bearable once they admit they achieved it via open-mindedness) vs. those who are plain stubborn. In fact, I often read some stories on Facebook where some boomers,  or better called the stubborn boomers , often try to operate in a world that no longer exists. This is the difference when the stubborn boomers start opening their mouths because blah blah blah, they were honor students, successful businessmen, etc., and try to make their children (and grandchildren) "extensions of themselves", rather than succeeding as individuals. It made me think about how boomers tend to marry in their 20s . Some can bra...

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...