Business & Economics Perspective Blogger

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 $...

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...

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...

I remember Cebu City had severe flood warning going on . I saw some stores at Carbon in Cebu City, getting severely flooded . It was a real nightmare as Typhoon Crising also passed by Cebu. The sight was a disaster. Flooding in Carbon doesn't surprise me. There are a lot of unsavory people in Cebu City's downtown. It's a disgusting thing when I think about stepping on whatever disgusting stuff, that was improperly disposed  of. I would talk stuff like, "It's because of people like you that the Philippines doesn't improve!" It's not surprising to find the news that garbage has been a leading culprit. The government may have some responsibility. However, citizens who love to throw their garbage just anywhere also form part of the problem. Social responsibility falls on both the government and the citizens. Sure, the government has to play its part (ex., making clear policies). However, the citizens should also play their part by not throwing garbage in i...

I was planning to write sparingly, as sparingly as possible. More is less in blogging, right? However, I decided to write about this because I'm reading several Facebook comments on the Philippine Star Facebook page . Isn't it amazing how the education system of the Philippines is so bad? I've heard DepEd textbooks have never improved  until today. Filipino First Policy still good? People still insist that equity restrictions embedded within the "holy and infallible" 1987 Constitution of the Philippines, are for security reasons (read here )? It's just plain stupid if you ask me!  This is an excerpt from the same article on the Philippine Star : MANILA, Philippines — Unlike Thailand, Malaysia and other regional peers, the Philippines lacks the fiscal capacity to provide government subsidies to shield Filipinos from rising electricity costs . “It’s not possible. The subsidy comes from the Universal Charge for Missionary Electrification (UCME),” Energy Undersecr...

There are times when people just have short attention spans. Sure, I'd like to sit down in a chemistry discussion about how Chaindrite Foam works effectively. However, commercials are most likely meant to carry some form of hyperbole--such as making mozzarella stretchier than it truly is or doing some crazy stunts with a disclaimer. This Thai insecticide commercial gets really funny. What I love about these commercials is the cartoony effect. I assume the foam used in the commercial is either shaving cream or whipped cream. It's because spraying the actors with the actual foam playing the giant pests would be dangerous. The actors playing the pests are made to dress up like mascots for a school presentation. Seeing the actors play the pests dying is rather entertaining.  I believe that the purpose of giant pests isn't just for laughs. It's also to address that the problem can be that huge. Pest problems can cause so much trouble. It may be a good attempt to raise aware...

Looking at the IBON Foundation's page can be laughable . One may notice Atty. Neri Colmenares, someone who fortunately lost the senatorial race twice . I remember arguing about people who'd believe in the lies that Colmenares would propagate about FDIs. There's the call to stop water privatization (the call for the nationalization of the water industry) and the constant opposition to allowing foreigners to own 100%. Do they even get that 100% FDI ownership is all about share ownership and not land ownership ? As the summer heat intensifies due to the El Niño, I decided to write this entry. A good question to ask now is, "Would you rather die of thirst or a heatstroke than accept quality water and electricity services from MNCs?"  What organizations like the IBON Foundation and Migrante International insist is on national industrialization over the acceptance of FDIs. The question is how do they expect to industrialize the nation based on doing everything on their ...

There's the statement that  some  honor students didn't do well later in life. I don't blame  their  being honor students as to why they failed in  real life .  The late John Gokongwei graduated as an honor student . Just reading this can explain why some honor students are still doing well in real life:  Mr. John didn’t resume his studies until nearly five decades later. By then, he had already founded JG Summit, built his business empire, and made a name for himself in various industries.  Despite his success, he still went back to school and proved that learning truly is a lifelong process .  Apart from pursuing a master’s degree in business administration from De La Salle University, Mr. John also completed a 14-week Advanced Management Course at Harvard University.  “ It took me four years since I was a working student. When I got my diploma, it was one of the proudest moments of my life, ” he previously shared during his alma mater...