Business & Economics Perspective Blogger

I expect people to backlash on me. However, I feel I need to publish this harsh opinion. Maybe, DTI Secretary Crisina Aldeguer-Roque failed to do some necessary steps . For one, the term Noche Buena means "Good Night". One could ask, "What's for Noche Buena?" I have seen some people post the simpleng handaan as "Noche Buena" on Facebook. Somebody could say, "We bought hanging rice, grilled pork belly, and made a vegetable salad for greens." Perhaps the person only spent PHP 500.00 for the noche buena, given that the vegetables were based on availability from the time one went to the grocery.  As I read through the November 29, 2025, update  (written by John Eric Mendoza, Krixia Subingsubing, Logan Kal-El M. Zapanta), I noticed some violent reactions are from anti-reform people like the IBON Foundation and Kilusang Mayo Uno : Sonny Africa, executive director of economic watchdog Ibon Foundation , believes that even the agency knows it’s not re...

It's the first day of December. Right now, I don't even feel like celebrating Christmas. Cebu is still in a state of calamity overall. I don't even look forward to Christmas parties. I'm glad some churches have canceled Christmas parties, to divert the fundraising (such as paying PHP 500.00 per head or family) to convert them into relief goods purchases instead. However, some people can have a callous mentality that's akin to the Masque of the Red Death . Boomers may have tried seeing the film Masque of the Red Death starring the late Vincent Price. The story of the Masque of the Red Death had Prospero trying to deny the terrible plague called the Red Death, choosing to hold a lavish feast instead of helping his citizens! Lessandra The typical  Noche Buena can be high in cholesterol and the like. As I thought of DTI Secretary Christina Roque's rather tactless (but probably badly needed) statement that PHP 500.00 is enough for a Noche Buena of a family of four. T...

It's that stupid  when I read the remarks of DTI secretary Cristina Roque made a really tactless remark . Sure, the remark had people angry because, in reality, the whole noche buena at PHP 500.00 for a family of four will not match, given these ingredients: ham, P170 to P945; fruit cocktail, P61.76 to P94.41; all-purpose cream, P36.00 to P72; “nata de coco,” P52.50 to P62.50; “kaong,” P76.50 to P84; “queso de bola,” P210 to P470; cheese, P16.50 to P310; and mayonnaise, P20.40 to P245.85. /dda As I read through the list above, I'm reminded of how much I don't like December because it's the season of abounding toxic positivity . The song "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" is in full blast, even after Andy Williams died of old age in 2012 . I tend to drive the road and when traffic hits, I always think about the problem of last-minute Christmas shopping , and scream it, "Isn't it any wonder why the Philippines doesn't improve?" It...

The Alice Guo saga seems to have come to an end, right? That's, unless of course something happens and she escapes again. This always made me laugh when I realized that, as I was writing my articles, I came across a Vietnamese girl named Ha Thi Thu Trang, aka Ha Trang, who resembles Alice. Right now, Ha Trang could come to the Philippines for a vacation and not get mistaken for the same person. Back on the topic, I would like to point out that I actually wrote a post on whether or not using Alice's controversy should be a call to shut down constitutional reform . Alice's now in jail, what's next?! I would like to let people know in advance, I'm not here to demolish Senator Maria Theresa "Risa" Baraquel-Hontiveros' efforts in getting Alice arrested. In fact, I feel grateful (in part) that Risa managed to expose Alice's lies, along with Senator Sherwin "Win" Ting Gatchalian in exposing Alice's dubious records. However, I'm going to...

For Chinese language courses, one of the best ways to teach basic HSK-1-3 Chinese is by introducing jobs and professions in Standard Chinese (華語). One may remember the Sesame Street song,"Who are the people in your neighborhood" song. The exercises should be done with vocabulary (matching up the Chinese to English), followed by sample conversations (question and answer). For example: Question:"接待員的工作內容是什麼?"(Jiēdài yuán de gōngzuò nèiróng shì shénme?) Translation: "What is the job of a receptionist?" Answer:"前台接待員的工作是預訂房間和查詢空房狀況."(Qiántái jiēdài yuán de gōngzuò shì yùdìng fángjiān hé cháxún kōngfáng zhuàngkuàng.) Translation: "The job of the receptionist is to make reservations and check for availability." My sample conversation is probably too long, and may fit the HSK-3 level instead. However, one may look for shorter answers then give longer answers progressively. 

Cổng thông tin Trung ương Đoàn TNCS Hồ Chí Minh A few days ago, I wrote about warning Filipinos that they shouldn't wait for more unmitigated typhoon disasters, before realizing that the Filipino First Policy isn't working ! There's a statement that says, "Just because being tanga (inattentive) is libre (free), doesn't mean you should be tanga!"  Analyzing the different policies: why policies  matter I found a Business World article, written by Cesar Polvorosa, Jr., on my Facebook news feed discussing the Vietnamese economy . In fact, it would be better to share some hard truths that the article offers about what really went wrong with the  democratic Philippines compared to Communist Vietnam : DIVERGENT ECONOMIC MODELS  Vietnam pursued an export-oriented manufacturing strategy which has proven significantly more successful over the past half century than the Philippines’ service-heavy, remittances-dependent model . Export performance alone tells a compe...

GMA Network I remember surviving through Typhoon Odette last 2022. Tino happened on November 6, 2025, which also reminds me that Yolanda's anniversary came two days later . Yolanda was even worse than Odette! Thankfully, Cebu City's impact wasn't as bad, and power didn't take too long to return, unlike Yolanda. However, seeing news reports such as an investigation done against Slater Young's project in Monterazzas de Cebu should highlight a bigger problem. Looking at the photos of floods on Facebook makes me think, "How many more unmitigated typhoon disasters until Filipinos realize that the Filipino First Policy is failing them and that the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines  badly needs updates?"  For die-hard defenders like Atty. Hilario G. Davide Jr. (who will turn 90 this December 20) or Atty. Christian Monsod (who's 89 this year), they're prone to saying that it's just a matter of implementation . However, whether we want to admit it...