Category: Economy

President Benigno Simeon Aquino’s 3rd State of the Nation Address (SONA 2012)

July 3, 2012 Ilda 52 Comments

President Benigno Simeon â€œBSâ€ Aquino III will be giving his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) soon. Like his first and second SONA, his speech will most likely be full of motherhood statements similar to all the previous speeches he had delivered since he announced his plans to run for the Presidency in 2009….

Development, Economy, Government, Politics

Is Meralco’s Rate Hike a Political Gambit?

July 1, 2012July 1, 2012 BenK 8 Comments

If you havenâ€™t heard, Meralco was granted a significant increase in its distribution rate by the Energy Regulatory Commission this past week, one that will add between P 1.20 and P 2.48 per kilowatt-hour to customer bills and officially make their electric rates the highest in the world beginning next month. This follows an increase…

Economy, Politics

Why is a $1bn deposit to the IMF such a big deal?

June 23, 2012 benign0 21 Comments

Over the last several days, I’ve been getting snippets of news and information lately about a USD 1 billion loan extended by the Philippines to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The first I heard of it was in a “news” article that came across as a trumpeting of how the Philippines is now a “net…

Economy, Government, Money Talks

Is the Philippine government hell-bent on milking poor OFWs of money?

June 21, 2012June 21, 2012 Ilda 110 Comments

Another lawmaker has thought of a brilliant way to make money out of our hardworking and mostly cash-strapped Filipino overseas foreign workers (OFWs). Congresswoman Ma. Theresa Bonoan-David authored a bill that would increase the contribution of every departing OFW to the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) from $25.00 to $50.00 (Php2,400). Unsurprisingly, her bill is…

Economy, Government, Politics

When it rains, it pours: weathering the Filipino calamity

June 3, 2012 FallenAngel 4 Comments

Starting this week, we still living here in the Philippines encountered the first bouts of deluge that are a sure sign of the arrival of the rainy season. With the advent of the rainy season, the start of the school season comes along with it too. Expect there to be heavy traffic starting tomorrow, as…

Culture, Economy, Environment, Government, Society

MBC and MVP inflate the significance of the impeachment trial to economic progress

May 30, 2012 a 4 Comments

Partisan social news network Rappler recently published an article, narrating the local businessmenâ€™s joy over Renato Coronaâ€™s conviction in his impeachment trial. Businessmen lauded the results of the over 4-month-long impeachment trial of former Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona that was sealed by a 20-3 votes of senator judges on Tuesday, May 29. “Our…

Economy, Money Talks, Politics, Society

What does the acronym AI signify to you as a Filipino?

May 29, 2012 FallenAngel 14 Comments

All right, all right. American Idol is yesterday’s news. Jessica Sanchez lost. Pinoys still suck, and they’re still stuck with the government they deserve whatever the outcome of the circus, I mean, impeachment trial is. Plus, Manny Pacquiao has a fight coming up in about two (2) weeks, so I don’t think that will be…

Culture, Economy, Politics, Society, Tech Talk

Run for the banks! Senator Judges behold the return of the ‘S’ word: SEQUESTER

May 21, 2012 benign0 32 Comments

Unintended consequences — the evil spawn of those famous last words: It seemed like a good idea at the time. It’s the cancerous mass-thinking process that latches humanity onto the glitzy, glossy, mind candy of easy shortcuts and quick fixes fuelled by sef-important notions of what one considers to be “noble” goals. “Cheaper faster better”…

Civics, Crime, Economy, Government, Politics