Five Reasons to be Optimistic About the Philippines

The most successful investors are those that invest when everybody else is bailing out. I have heard so many bad things about Pinas, and after having lived there for two years I can now understand how bad things really are. Nevertheless, I continue to invest not only money but time and effort as well to my homeland. It’s not that I am a diehard nationalist or a wannabe hero. I invest for my own reasons, and one of those reasons is that I expect my investments to bear fruit in a few years.

I invested all of my retirement savings in gold more than two years ago, when its price was still below a thousand U.S. dollars (USD) a troy ounce. Now gold has gone up by 60% at least, with respect to USD. Of course, I have not gained by that same 60% rise. Another way of looking at this is that, had I kept my savings in USD, I would have lost about 14% of its value. USD has lost 14% of its value in the past two years with respect to the Philippine Peso (PHP), so my net gain with respect to PHP is only about 46%, or about 23% per annum. That’s not bad at all, and this should tell you that I am not an amateur investor.

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A friend of mine asked me, “Why are you trying to get back to Pinas, when everybody else is trying to leave?” My reply was simply that I am optimistic about my homeland.

Why am I optimistic about the Philippines? Let me give you five good reasons.

1. We are among the few countries not trying to inflate PHP by buying oodles of USD. China is among those countries trying to control the price of their currencies with respect to USD, by buying tons of USD and U.S. bonds. Why would countries like China do this? To keep the price of their exports low. This tactic has worked so far for China, but it will get more and more difficult to sustain it. The Chinese will have to be willing to inflate their money by as much as USD falls, which would be catastrophic. Pinas, on the other hand, thanks to our Banko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), is not employing this tactic. One reason is because the price of our main export, labor, is immune to currency exchange rates. This means that converting USD or any other currency to PHP (i.e., investing in Pinas now) is a wise decision.

When I say that our main export is immune to currency exchange rates, I mean it only with respect to the buyer. With respect to the seller (us OFWs), it is not exactly advantageous. We all feel how much more we have to send home each month compared to two years ago, but we don’t ask for a higher price on our services from our employers (buyers of our service). So, we shouldn’t really thank the BSP for what they are not doing (inflating PHP). However, allowing PHP to go up with respect to USD does make our future look bright indeed. We should be happy knowing that our PHP savings will hold its value, much more so than other currencies.

2. OFWs don’t just spend their money abroad. We send our earnings back to Pinas. For decades now these funds have helped our economy sustain itself; and the number of overseas workers have increased, not because of government “help” or regulation, but in spite of it. This flow of money into Pinas has helped the price of real estate (land and housing properties) to increase steadily over the years, a fact certainly not ignored by shrewd businessmen like Manny Villar.

The price of real estate property will continue to increase steadily. I bought a home lot in Cebu five years ago, and it’s been a great investment so far.

3. If we liberalize our economy, we can offer our services to the world without having to first move out of our country. Local corporations will form that can compete with Indian multinational companies like Infosys, Wipro, and Tata. We have several advantages over both India and China in this arena: a) we continue to produce world-class talent in software engineering and other technical areas, b) our university graduates speak and write much better English than our Chinese brethren, and we beat Indian nationals on average, and c) the time difference between the Philippines and our clients is much more favorable than that of either China or India.

Once we are economically liberated, a potential energy so huge will be released that will increase incomes and thereby discretionary consumer spending, which in turn would lift everything else, including the condition of the poor. Local jobs will become abundant until the price of labor goes up to the point where going abroad to work will be pointless. The middle class will complain that we can’t afford to pay for maids anymore because even those who now work as maids will find real jobs.

4. If we liberalize our economy, those overseas workers like me who have invested (and not just spent) in Pinas will see our investments increase in value, prompting even more people to do likewise, which would increase the value of those investments even further.

5. Reasons to be optimistic numbers 3 and 4 depend on liberalizing our economy. I see no reason why this can’t happen. The intellectual climate has changed a bit, and I see us continuing to shift to the political right in the coming years. I see a lot of energy in Orion Perez Dumdum’s nascent movement, CoRRECT Philippines, which aims to amend our defective 1987 Constitution, and which I have joined with gusto. Already, smart politicians have smelled the shift, and have started to place themselves ahead in order to appear to be the ones leading the crowd. By itself, this is one great reason to be optimistic.

http://ctapang.wordpress.com

 

91 Replies to “Five Reasons to be Optimistic About the Philippines”

  1. Thank you Tito Noy, our hardworking president is helping the Philippine economy and people go up like what Ninoy and Tita Cory wanted to.

    1. Hey…YellowTard…you are as imbecile as your Tito Noy, and your Tita Cory…these people did not work in their whole lives. They have servants and slaves, to work for them. The Philippine economy is already bankrupt; brankrupted by the Hacienda Luisita Mafia…the Aquinos and the Cojuangcos got as rich as filthy rich, as they are…at our expense…

      1. There’s such a thing as “good debt” and “bad debt.” Good debt is the kind of investment that will pay off over the long term, e.g. in working infrastructure. Unfortunately most Filipino politicians only care about the ‘here and now.’

        I agree that Gloria was corrupt but at least she wasn’t just a product of the system. She knew how to work the game.

        NAIA-3 was a terrible shame but on the other hand there was SCTEX and the other new highways. I’m also quite hopeful about GMA Airport in Clark, because at least since it’s in her province she can take better care of it without interference from the rest of the system.

        Now if only they could properly liberalize trade, then the highways will be put to good use.

        1. Those projects generated jobs for a lot of Filipinos and helped save the country during the financial crisis. Mag-isip ka naman!

      2. Generated jobs but it also made a huge profit of corruption to Gloria na napakalaki talaga. Remember Macapagal blvd?

        1. There is evidence for the jobs generated by the consctruction and there is evidence of the existing infrastructure. Where is your evidence that GMA profited from it? If you can prove it, you will be hailed by the Filipino people as a “hero”. Otherwise, puro ka lang “dak-dak”. 😉

    2. Ummm…. stop deluding yourself, Vincenzong Ulol. That is NOT what happened during Cory because actually, you enjoyed brownouts, right?

  2. This writer of the article must be living in Noynoy Aquino’s Wonderland…OFW export? These are Filipino slave workers, paid so low, and abused by their foreign employers…Some became Drug Mules, to survive. The Africans, Bangladesh, etc…from foreign countries a s poor, as we are; will soon replce them, at lower cost of pay…
    Filipino Engineers surpassing the Indians…idiot…I am a Tecnical Man, teaching in a U.S. university and working in a U.S. corporation, at the same time. The Indians are more well prepared academically in work and in school. They are good in Information Technology Field…This article is a Yellow Horde Nazi KALIBAPI propaganda…

      1. Isang taon pa lang wala pa kaming nakikita. If you take out your Yellow Glasses, then your eyes will open.

        Nasaan ang source mo? Bleh.

      2. This YellowTard is in Delusion, suffering from Acute Paranoia, like his master: Noynoy “Tsope” Aquino.
        A Tsope is a manok that runs away from his opponent, during a Cockfight…good only for tinola…I’m not a sabungero…
        He hid during the Luneta Hostage Crissis. Now, he is appeassing the MILF, who killed 19 Filipino soldiers…

  3. I agree with the author, there’s still hope in the Philippines. But it’s not because of our president. It’s because there people who are unwilling to break conformity and go with new and out-of-the-box ideas.

    1. But Tito Noy is a big help because of his determination na makilala ult ang Pilipinas. Unlike Gloria,gusto mo na lang magOFW kapag nakaupo sya.

      1. You are very mucj star-struct ignoramus idoitic yellow media fantards. Ano ba ang nagawa ni Abnoynoy sa isang taon? Gago!

    2. Off-topic:

      I’ve been observing the comments on this blog/ site. It’s way too settled into one pattern.

      Anyway, cheers to the author for finding his silver lining and sharing it. One can take it at face value. I choose to look for my own.

    3. The reason out-of-the box thinking is difficult is because boxed in people trash out-of-the box thinkers. For example, this article is out of the box for this particular blog site, and read the gracious responses.

      1. For example, this article is out of the box for this particular blog site…

        That’s a very supeficial assessment.

        Nothing in “this article” is “out of the box“. What are being advocated (e.g. economic liberalization, constitutional change, CoRRECT movement, etc.) are consistent with, if not exactly the same as, the message contained in other articles here posted before.

        Perhaps the title or the presentation is just put differently, or you just saw the word “optimistic” in the title but failed to realize the conditions laid out in the article.

        It appears to be your viewpoint that the Philippines can genuinely move forward without making the necessary changes to the culture which lies at the heart of pinoy society’s inability to progress rapidly and sustainably.

      2. Felipe, like out of the box thinking, which is relative to whose box we are talking about, superficial is in the mind of the beholder when the ideas expressed sail over their heads.

        My viewpoint in the Philippines would move forward if you would be so kind as to suggest a concept for it to grab, rather than criticize where it has been already.

      3. @Joe America

        Felipe, like out of the box thinking, which is relative to whose box we are talking about, superficial is in the mind of the beholder when the ideas expressed sail over their heads.

        You sure are more than welcome to rationalize it at your own expense, but still, it is what it is—superficial.

        “Out-of-the-box” is rather what makes this whole site different from other sites out there–not really between this article and others on this same site.

        There’s nothing in the above article that I’m inclined to disagree on–strongly at least. However, not only is “out-of-the-box” perhaps too sacred a term for me to just loosely use, but even suggesting such a term also undermines, either intentionally or inadvertently, the all too important message commonly shared among practically all posts here in this site—i.e. the Philippines needs a fundamental change in character and mindset—a cultural change for any other reforms, whether economic or political, to actually take root or have any lasting effect. Optimism, “hope”, aspirations or any wishful thinking themselves do not magically transform a society; sound solutions do.

        My viewpoint in the Philippines would move forward if you would be so kind as to suggest a concept for it to grab, rather than criticize where it has been already.

        In case this one has simply ‘sailed over your head’, I did mention such concept—i.e. “necessary changes to the culture“—which all other reforms should target and without which none of them would have any meaningful impact.

      4. benigno, thanks for the reference. Trust, self confidence, and assertiveness, in your chart, are qualities requiring considerable introspection to prevent water from flowing off the duck’s impervious back. I rather think the duck is waterproof. Are you making any money at this? That was written in 2002, but it’s like the merry-go-round is still grinding in the same place.

      5. There is a whole Solution Framework to “grab” that I’d develop a while back. Check it out here. 🙂

        This is more like it!

        Solutions that address external factors such as politics and the economy do open up the opportunities and conditions under which a society could thrive. But, even if a society becomes suddenly surrounded by such opportunities, lack of both knowledge and initiative would render said opportunities utterly useless (even as you leave your garage door wide open, you won’t go anywhere unless you actually start the car, overcome the inertia, and move towards your intended destination)—again, knowledge and initiative—one’s attitude or internal disposition towards these things depend on one’s cultural orientation or upbringing, thus, culture has to be addressed.

      6. In short, the solution should come from WITHIN. Stimuli originating externally can only do so much. If the society does not have it in itself to seize opportunity, these opportunities will simply roll off the back of Joe America’s proverbial duck.

      1. At ikaw naman, please look more on the blog. It’s more like Filipino Triumphalist propaganda that encourages everyone to delude themselves.

    1. Eh mas lalo hnd uunlad ang Pilipinas dhl sa katangahan nyo. Kayo mga 30+ na followerS lang. Si Tito Noy naman, 20+ milyon at nadaragdagan pa. Marami nagmamahal sa kanya. Kayo ba ang bagong CPP NDF NPA MILF ASG?

      1. Maraming Yellow Zombies na papatayin. 😛

        And please hwag mo kaming ibilang sa mga rebeldeng iyon. We’re different.

      2. Oh, you shot yourself in the foot on the thing that you mention the CPP-NPA-NDF. Actually, Ninoy have connections with them and he also met Joma Sison; implying that he’s an ambitious politician.

        And the husband of DOJ secretary Laila de Lima has ties with Joma Sison.

    1. 25% overvalued in terms of the price of commodities in Pinas, or with respect to other currencies? In terms of commodity prices in Pinas, as of last year the inflation figure would indicate that the PHP has been coming down in value (see http://www.indexmundi.com/philippines/inflation_rate_(consumer_prices).html). With respect to other currencies, the only other currencies we most care are the US dollar (USD) and the Euro. Yes, with respect to these two currencies the value of the PHP has increased, but it is far from overvalued. Rather, both the USD and the Euro have come down in value. With respect to gold, the price of gold in PHP has not come down either, so there is no overaluing of PHP here. I just can’t imagine deflation (overvaluing) happening in Pinas. Just go to your nearest grocery: have prices of food been decreasing (indicating an increasing value of PHP)?

  4. Si Mendoza ang may kasalanan ng Manila Hostage,walang knalaman si Tito Noy dito. At kasalanan ng commanding officer ang kasawian ng ating mga kawal sa Mindanao,walang knalaman si Tito Noy dito. At hnd nagtatago si Tito Noy, hnd lang sya katulad ng mga nakaraang administrasyoN

    1. Kung walang panangutan etong alang kwentang presidente na eto, wag nalang syang mamuno. Sayang ang ibinabayad ng taumbayan sa kanya.

      Kung meron mga pinoy na namatay sa ibang bansa dahil sa kabobohan ng presidente nila siguro ikaw ang unang magproprotesta at magwawala sa mga kanilang embahada.

      Magtatago rin yan si AbNoy tulad ng ginawa ni Cory nung meron coup d’etat. Yellow is the color of cowardice. Ngayon palang nagpapakitang duwag na si AbNoy. Mahusay lang mamaril yan pagka wala lang kalaban.

    2. Lol, this hack shot himself in the face.
      If gloria were still president during the luneta crisis, she wouldn’t have handled it like the balding idiot did. She would have resolved it without getting any hostages killed unlike what happened UNDER aquino.

  5. “Hangga’t hindi matutong tumaggap ng responsibilidad, hinding hindi tayo matututo harapin ang atin mga sarili.”

    And what Noynoy’s doing to that commanding officer LEADERSHIP? Meh, it’s more like childishness dahil lang sinabi ang kanyang opinyon. Sorry but THAT’S stupidity. And he also has responsibility dahil siya ay commander-in-chief.

    Wow, may mga tao pa na hindi kaya tanggapin ang katotohanan. So you want a government who always want to play the blame game and doesn’t want to take responsibility. Astig, ‘no?

  6. Reason #6 (tentative)
    Someone must be reading the airport review site at NAIA-1(!) because I realized I lost my Filipino passport when I arrived and I called them and they told me they have it.

    It’s “tentative” because I’m going to check if they want to ask for a ‘reward’ there. Maybe they won’t demand one because they don’t want to be seen as cheating a fellow Pinoy. But the fact that it’s in the official lost & found is a hopeful sign.

      1. Hindi magnanakaw si Noynoy but he’s starting to steal money in front of your face through his pork barrel and worse, his allies are also thieves.

        TROLL HARDER.

      2. Wala na ang cnsbi m0ng m0n0p0ly. Patas na ang lahat dahil kay Tito Noy. At nagkar0on ng gyera sa mindanao dhl sa kapaBayaAn ng mga tauhan d0oN. Pero talagang busilak pa rin ang puso ni Tito Noy, imbes na all out war, ang gnawa nya ay all out justice.

      3. There IS a monopoly. The 1987 Constitution was made by the Aquino family and their oligarch allies who monopolizes the economy.

        PLDT was owned by the Marcoses first but instead of giving it to the Philippine government, it was given to Cory’s Congjuanco nephews (Kamaganak, Inc.)

      4. Thanks to the Congjuancos, they monopolize PLDT. At hindi ako nagsabi nun. It was Bobby Reyes, who is a member of Doy Laurel’s UNIDO. He also wrote the 1993 political novel “One Day in the Life of a Filipino Sonovabitch.” He proved that many Cory Crusaders became the “Sorry Crusaders.” We became so sorry for helping elect a leader who performed worse than her predecessor.

      5. @Daido:
        Just a few tweaks to your comment.

        PLDT was with the Cojuangcos before Martial Law. They bought it.

        Technically, Marcos never owned PLDT. He “Nationalized” it during Martial Law. In other words, he stole it using the gov’t. LOL. Good business there — if you can’t beat them, cheat them.

        After EDSA 86 it went back to the Cojuangcos who eventually sold it. It’s now with the MVP group.

        It’s just changing hands.

        PLDT bought half of Digitel recently. In effect, it’s (almost) a monopoly(?)

      6. @brianitus:

        Whoa, thanks for correcting me. I almost forgot that MVP also owned PLDT.

        Meralco is the ONLY electric company in the Philippines. And Jollibee also owned Mang Inasal, Chowking, and even Burger King’s Philippine franchise. It’s (almost) a monopoly.

    1. For the record, I did get my passport returned without a fee (though they did hand-write a “[Frank’s full name] came here at this time to claim this] in their security log). They also did put effort into cleaning the bathrooms, though those remained quite far out of the way.

  7. p-noy is corrupt
    firstly he is an enabler and turns a blind eye to thise around him who are engaging in all sorts of scams and backhanders.
    secondly he is using pork barrel as bribery which is also a corrupt practice
    thirdly his brother in law is asking and getting commission for pork barrel releases
    fouryhly he is doing cojuangcos bidding in maintaining monopoly businesses and ignoring anti-trust
    fifthly he has reneged on his promises especially hacienda luisita and freedom of information

    this weak pathetic do nothing excuse for a president will be toppled. binay is planning and plotting

      1. dont believe everything you read.
        i think i am better placed to know than you.
        i doubt you have ever even met and spoken to him. only gazed in adoration from afar.
        next you will be saying he is not gay/bi.
        politicians must love voters like you.
        dont bother me again with your inane and immature comments.
        i dont suffer fools

    1. E2 sinasabi ni Penoy:

      “Mga mahal kong kababayan
      sa panahon ng aking panunungkulan
      katakutakot na kurakot ang inyong maaasahan
      paliliguan ko kayo ng sandamakmak na kasinungalingan
      at sa lahat ng sa akin ay bumoto
      ano kayo, hilo? ako muna bago kayo
      at sa kabila ng lahat
      may makikitang ngiti sa ating mukha
      na parang walang naganap
      at sa akin ang huling halakhak!

      pu***g ina nio hahaha”

  8. A man without honesty and integrity, and who is hypocritical in both word and deed is corrupt to the very soul of his being.

    Of 102 campaign promises lie-noy has not fulfilled 1, and the majority have been quietly shelved/forgotten, whilst some he has done the exact opposite.

    Weak and easily manipulated this is someone not too be trusted.

    His word is not his bond.
    And certainly no officer (AWOL and cowardice) or gentleman (just ask shalani)

  9. I really like the way Vincenzo spews his words(he spews his words like a Yellow conscript), but I like the way the people insult him better!! Now I can’t wait for him to vomit out his own yellow blood!!

  10. Lahat ng tao tnanggalan ng karapatan n0oNg martial law, pati mga negosyo knuha. Thanks to Tita Cory,ibinalik ang mga ito sa mga t0t0oNg may-ari.

    1. LAWL. The Lopezes got ABS-CBN through dirty tactics. And hindi pa rin binalik sa mga magsasaka ang mga lupa sa Hacienda Luisita which sparked the Mendiola Massacre.

      That’s the Kamag-Anak, Inc. to you.

    2. Let’s face it ABS-CBN’s “news” (more like stories) are skewed. God knows it has a political agenda. It tells its stories the way the devil does–with a mixture of half-truths. They tend to depict their pet politicians in a favorable light while anyone with differing views as “bad”. It selects quotes and scenes that help their pet politicians redeem themselves and hopefully ABS’s enemies incriminate themselves. They do this so habitually, they probably don’t even notice it anymore.

      Whatever victories they claim to win are as hollow as the devil’s victories.

  11. Every Filipino trusts Tito Noy kasi malinis at mabait naman sya. But you? You still believe to Gloria na ninakaw ang pondo ng bansa para sa pamilya nya.

    1. Aquino was voted by many solely on the strength of his name, and not because of any morality judgment on his character. It’s beginning to become obvious that he knows jack about running the country and will bring us down.

      Sige bintangan mo na nagnakaw si GMA pero may nagawa pala sya! Sino na bobo, ung pag bigay ng patience sa tao na walang patience sa totoong pagbabago o ung mga tulad mo na hindi natutoto sa pagiging patience sa pulitika kahit noon pa? Asa ka na lang sa dakilang mo pre dahil ayaw mo matuto. Sarap kasi maging bobo at maging P.Noy fanboy noh?

  12. Hindi ganyan si Tito Noy. Mabait sya, he takes his critics as compliments and doesnt want an all out war but all out justice

  13. Ating matatandaan na 2011 pa lang, hanggang 2016 pa ang term ni Tito Noy. Kaya bgyan p ntn ng time ang cnsbi m0ng 102 proMises

  14. The evidence is too obvious! Diosdado boulevard is the most expensive in the world. Bkt naging expensive? Kasi malaki ang ninakaw ni Gloria. Hoy gising! Ninakawan ka na harap harapan!

    1. BTW, your telling me to watch the news from ABS-CBN? That biased station? You can do better than that.

      Kung doon galing ang “evidence” na iyon, isa kang malaking sinungaling. Just give me the link and let me read it. 😛 Kung hindi, I proved my point.

  15. Basta ang sinasabi ko ay katotohanan at makakamit rin ng ating kaBaBayan ang hustisya kapag nakul0ng na si Gloria

    1. Basta ang sinasabi mo ay puro CONSPIRACY THEORIES at makakamit rin ng ating kababayan ang TUNAY na hustisya kung nakatuon lang tayo sa mas importanteng bagay.

      I mean, puro anti-corruption si AbNoy, pero paano ang ekonomiya at trabaho. Sensya na bord, pero puro kasinungalingan ang sinasabi mo because it’s hard to admit that we, as citizens, are corrupt. 😛

      1. @Vincenzo
        Yeah. If Gloria is put to jail, what do we get? Just her being in jail. That’s it? We don’t get anything else! DaidoKatsumi is right. Economics are much, much, MUCH more important than politics. In politics(like what Noy is focusing now), we don’t get much but only propaganda and that’s it. In economics(which should be given focus), we get our life, through senseful livelihood, jobs, anything that can sustain life in any sort of way.

      2. T. Gorbachev:

        Whoa there. What do we get? If GMA is indeed guilty and she is put in jail, then Pinoys get something they don’t get regularly — justice. That’s a start. I hope you don’t take that lightly.

        I am in favor of putting a deadline on all the GMA witch hunts. Like, it’s been over a year already. If they can’t get her, start doing something else — productive for a change. It’s almost like trying to get laid with a flaccid tool. No matter how hard and often you dip the stick, nothing happens.

        As for the economy, with a bad one the gov’t substitutes entertainment. That’s why the anti-corruption sideshows are there. Just sharing my 1-cent view.

      3. “Kapag nakul0ng si Gloria, maibabalik ang mga ninakaw nya, at maibbgay sa mga dapat na tamang humawak.”

        At sino ang may hawak ng mga iyon? Meh, ibibigay lang iyon sa mga bagong magnanakaw. Sa totoo lang, you never showed us proof. So yours in an epic fail.

    2. Vincenzong Bobo:

      Oh, even the whistleblowers against her will also have the same treatment. And yes, your comment is flawed because most of them are conspiracy theories, mostly from Lacson.

  16. @brianitus
    Well, we are supposed to get justice after that, but then again, this is still the Philippines, justice doesn’t exist in the Philippines. It never existed in the Philippines. Seriously. What I meant originally by the statement is that if GMA goes to jail and we get justice, is that it? We only celebrate just because we erase corruption? That is not what is supposed to happen. After that, we get our acts together and work for the good of the country(if that will ever happen).

    About the deadline for GMA witch-hunting, good idea. Because one cannot do the same thing forever while neglecting the things that are more important than just that. In fact, there are things that can never be done no matter how hard we try. Like this one, for example. GMA is hunted down too much now, that there are things being neglected. That is not supposed to happen. One should find the balance on doing things, they say. So, do the things that matter while also doing your own thing. Perhaps one could have done more by equal focus on things.

    Also, I have given some views on how to solve these problems, my dominant view is, “But then again, this is the Philippines”, and then I spew negativity because I don’t see light at the end of the tunnel, really. Perhaps progress is not meant for the Philippines, given its status quo.

      1. @Vincenzo
        WRONG!! This is the Philippines, justice will NEVER be served in this country. Because the Philippines is never meant for progress, whether its Noy, Gloria, or any other roody-poo, candy-ass that belongs to their class(rich class). Filipinos like to depend on the rich for change(like what you are doing now), instead of doing it themselves. That is not good. The saying is, “If you want to make it right, you have to do it yourself”. But then again, you say, “This is the Philippines, we are not like the others because we are weak, we depend on heroes like Ninoy, Cory, etc.” Just like my prof said. Dependence on the upper classes for change will not work.

  17. Nice post. Except that how would our time difference be more competitive when we are in the same timezone as the whole of China? Remember, China follows a one time-zone policy, in which all of China follows Beijing time. Beijing time and Manila time are the same (GMT +8).

  18. I am optimistic but realistic with the country.No Problem with the article above but Vicenzo is a troll.hahahaha.Yellow NAZI Zombies like him should be made canon-fodder to the Armed Insurgents.

  19. I believe that there is still hope for our country but I’m not really that optimistic.

    I think the last point of LIBERALIZING the country is good. The problem is: the barriers are collosal. The only way to do it is through charter change. Even if, by some miracle, the legislators were able to pull this off, there is still a danger in corrupt people amending the constitution for the benefit of the few. Anyway, whatever the constitution maybe, the problem is within. Within our Filipino society.

    Depending on OFWs also have adverse effects on our families. It is no different from having societies of broken families, except that there’s no annulment of marriage. Children, a lot of times, don’t turn out that well without both parents to guide them. It’s a bad idea to have a lot of OFWs, especially when they are fathers or mothers.

  20. And fast forward to 12 years later, this article is a timeless joke in itself. Love your joke by simply writing this.

    Like bro, I ain’t readin’ allat but my scan shows how this stuff fails to live up:

    1. Industry is fundamental to a country’s respect and power. That is already a bubble burst because most of companies here are owned by Japs who would want to cut corners and pay little yet demand more to Pinoys working in manufacturing plants. Plus only japs, canoos, and chinks can invest here knowing the corrupt practices of Pinoys and that protectionist policies that shoos most of wanting to invest.

    2. Despite the fact that canoos find China to manipulate their economy, still remains the fact that China is as powerful economic rival to US. And the Filipinos remain to be in the dust. This is why comparing this ‘patriotic’ country you call Philippines against East Asia is futile. Because Filipinos did not respect themselves to begin with: see point 1 above here.

    3. OFWs sending money here does more harm than good. Migration contributes negatively more in remittances because for one, it is the only option for an average OFW to give back to their family. And two, remittances are spent nowhere instead of improving lives to those who benefit (Filipino Room Temperature IQ issue, anyone?)

    4. Economic liberalization is doomed. While I do appreciate the rise of constitutional change, in a doomed realistic view of things, this will not be likely even if I manage to live past 50. What I am saying is, majority of nincompoop-minded Pinoys are not well educated in these matters. As much as how they are NOT educated well in having nuclear power in country.

    Is it a love-hate relationship for this country? Historical presidents better be rolling in their graves now, because they invested their ideas in a failing state!

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