Category: Economy

Manufacturing can be a key to Filipinos enjoying a free and healthy life

April 25, 2012September 1, 2014 Ilda 42 Comments

Former Secretary General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan defined a developed country as: “… one that allows all its citizens to enjoy a free and healthy life in a safe environment”. In theory, his statement is simple enough to understand but quite complicated to put into practice. Annan wasn’t specific about which country or…

Development, Economy, Government, Lifestyle

Ph Supreme Court rules on Hacienda Luisita – values vast plantation at a measly P200 million

April 24, 2012 benign0 31 Comments

It’s final. To the plea of Hacienda Luisita Inc (HLI) that its vast plantation in Tarlac is worth P5 billion, the Philippine Supreme Courte voted 8 to 6 for a final valuation just short of P200 million. This is based on an assessment of P40,000 per hectare made in 1989 when the Department of Agrarian…

Economy, Government, Politics

Repatriation of workers should match a repatriation of jobs

April 23, 2012 benign0 3 Comments

The lessons learnt from outsourcing was long in coming. “Cheap” manufacturing meant taking “cost” advantage of foreign exchange and purchasing power disparities between rich nations and poor ones. And the low costs that were outcomes of these arrangements were bandied as “efficiency gains” in the home market despite no real operating efficiencies being actually realised…

Development, Economy, Money Talks

Exciting times ahead for Philippine Airlines!

April 21, 2012April 21, 2012 benign0 6 Comments

Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) is up for a long-overdue $500 million to $1 billion fleet modernisation program following full takeover of management control by San Miguel Corporation (SMC). SMC had recently acquired 49 percent of publicly-listed PAL Holdings which gives SMC an indirect 40 percent stake in Philippine Airlines. SMC president Ramon S. Ang…

Economy, Money Talks

Filipinos: like a ship lost at sea searching for a beacon

April 21, 2012August 12, 2013 FallenAngel 46 Comments

Introduction When I visited Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia last year, I saw a banner run across the two Petronas towers with the following words in Malay on it: Daulat Tuanku As soon as I could, I searched on Google what this phrase means. It is more or less the Malay equivalent of the English expression…

Culture, Economy, Government, Politics, Society

Day of Valor in modern times

April 9, 2012 FallenAngel 28 Comments

April 9 in the Philippines marks the Day of Valor (Araw ng Kagitingan), where in 1942, Bataan as the strongest opposition to Japanese invasion fell. To many of us, it’s just another day off from work. On a side note, it kind of feels weird for me to be writing about topics related to Bataan…

Civics, Culture, Development, Economy, Government, Lifestyle, Society

A monument to Pinoy stupidity: the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant

April 8, 2012August 12, 2013 FallenAngel 180 Comments

Now that the Mindanao power situation is on the verge of becoming a nationwide crisis, it looks like the issue of what to do with the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) will again be thrust into the spotlight. Your usual protesting militant and activist groups will say that health concerns, the unsafe technical and geographical…

Culture, Development, Economy, Environment, Government, Politics, Science, Society, Technology

Price Hikes Versus Wage Hikes?

April 7, 2012 a 21 Comments

Amidst the political turmoil that continually pervades our country, a strong and passionate plea reverberates among the mouths of the marginalized. Amidst the slums of the Philippines echoes the unswerving determination of the less-fortunate to assert what they want from the government, as shown by the series of protests conducted by advocacy groups across the…

Charter Change, Economy, Government, Money Talks