Business & Economics Perspective Blogger

Some time ago, I wrote a blog entry where I explained that many Filipinos misunderstand what FDI means . Right now, it's time to answer another misconception. It's the misconception that 100% FDI ownership (often just called 100% FDI, which I believe can be a misleading term) means that Filipino businesses will be put out of business . I was thinking about the concept because it's highly misleading .  For one, we're talking about share ownership, not a foreign takeover This comment I read on Facebook is epic levels of foolishness . I decided to translate it into English and avoid naming the person: Do all types of businesses have to be 100% foreign-owned? Even selling *banana cue*? Are eateries, market stalls, barber shops, vape shops, *sari-sari* stores, locksmiths, welding shops, photocopy and printing shops, etc., all going to be 100% foreign-owned?   The question asked by someone I'll just label as Pirate Flag here is downright stupid! It's now time to reall...

China Mike Today is Sergio Osmeña Day, but it is also Mao Zedong's death anniversary. Mao made his most important contribution to history--he finally died . However, Mao's ideas still live on, and he was a propagator of several foolish ideas. The man had military knowledge but may have lacked fundamental economic knowledge. August may be over, meaning Buwan ng Wika (Month of the Language) is over, but Pinoy Pride Economics, aka Filipino First Policy, knows no season . In fact, I want to talk about one of Mao Zedong's incredibly stupid ideas, namely the Great Leap Forward. As I was navigating Facebook, it's easy to see some people (some are probably stubborn boomers ) who still believe that the Philippines must "self-industrialize" through ideas like this on Facebook , of all places: Instead na umasa sa foreign investments bakit di gumawa ng sariling trabaho na atin (Instead of relying on foreign investment, why don't we make our own jobs)?  Let's start...

Daily Tribune Just looking at this picture of Atty. Renee M. Co of Kabataan Partylist  using a MacBook makes me laugh. Honestly? I thought about how I'm often berated that, "What have you done compared to Kabataan Partylist?" I remembered writing an article about the irony of using imported equipment to type information against FDI . Honestly, it gets super funny . After all, Kabataan Partylist is part of the Makabayan Bloc . Groups like Alliance of Concerned Teachers, Bayan Muna, Gabriela, and League of Filipino Students all fall under the  Makabayan Bloc . Their stance has still been a stone-age understanding of what FDI is all about.  The possibility that Kabataan Partylist members have been telling people that a wage increase, not FDI, is key to long-term growth, using a MacBook, is there In fact, one of the craziest things that Kabataan Partylist said (and probably still stands by) is this idea. They believe that wage hike is what's needed, not more FDI. Do they ...

BluPrint It's the Chinese Ghost Month, which starts on the first day of the seventh Lunar Month. This year, Ghost Month started on August 13, 2026, and it will end on September 10, 2026. Today is called the peak of the Ghost Month. For the sake of a post, I want to write about this Chinoy Ghost Story that I remember from the 1990s. This was when our Grade 2 Chinese siansi (I don't know where she is anymore, but I remember her as being very strict, and the next year, Grade 3, was even stricter ) would use the statement that she said, "If you can't speak Chinese, you will have a hard time finding a job." She even mentioned a peer who baliwala (took for granted) his Chinese studies and ended up as a motorcycle driver in their community. However, I often suspect that white lie was made out of desperation because grades mattered that much.   The threat, however, proved ineffective because the students were in Cebu City. Chances are, several huan-a students ( a word use...

Some people might say that Benigno Simeon A. Aquino Jr. said something concerning about "developing ourselves". However, his speech in Los Angeles in 1981 reveals another crucial detail about what he actually thought about FDI during the first Marcos administration. That was a time when the Filipino First Policy festered into an economic crisis. Q: If you will become the next president of the Philippines, what will you do with the U.S. investments or big foreign investments in the Philippines?   A: That’s a very very good question because there is a misconception that if the opposition wins in the Philippines, we will kick out all American/foreign investments. But why should we do that? Foreign investments are in the Philippines to give employment to our people. We should watch against predatory foreign investments who are exploitative of the Filipino people. But I cannot accept that all foreign investments are exploitative. There are many foreign investments that are helpfu...

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...