ASEAN Regional News - Compiled Threads [Archive] - Page 4

AH-7Raja

January 23rd, 2008, 03:22 AM

Next is Indonesia:

Economy - overview:
Indonesia, a vast polyglot nation, struggles with persistent poverty and unemployment, inadequate infrastructure, pervasive corruption, a fragile banking sector, a poor investment climate, and unequal resource distribution among regions. Declining oil production and lack of new exploration investment turned Indonesia into a net oil importer in 2004. The cost of subsidizing domestic fuel strained the budget in 2005, ultimately prompting the government to enact a 126% average fuel price hike in October. The resulting inflation and interest rate hikes dampened growth through mid-2006, while large increases in rice prices pushed millions more people under the national poverty line. The economy accelerated throughout 2007, but keys to sustained future growth remain internal reform and building up the confidence of international and domestic investors. The high global price of oil in 2007 increased the cost of domesic fuel and electricity subsidies, which consume a significant share of government spending. Significant progress has been made in rebuilding Aceh after the devastating December 2004 tsunami, and the province now shows more economic activity than before the disaster. Unfortunately, Indonesia suffered new disasters in 2006 and early 2007 including: a major earthquake near Yogyakarta, an industrial accident in Sidoarjo, East Java that created a "mud volcano," a tsunami in South Java, and major flooding in Jakarta, all of which caused additional damages in the billions of dollars. Donors are assisting Indonesia with its disaster mitigation and early warning efforts.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$845.6 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$287.4 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
6.1% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$3,400 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 12.4%
industry: 47.7%
services: 39.9% (2007 est.)
Labor force:
108 million (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 43.3%
industry: 18%
services: 38.7% (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate:
9.7% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line:
17.8% (2006)

New Airport is underconstruction:
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t285/acen_keren/cgkfuture8ns.jpg

Ano nga pala sinabi ninyo? DMIA ang ating future? Cge tignan natin kung kaya nyang talunin ang laki ng bagong ginagawang airport dito:
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=466638

http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t285/acen_keren/image002.jpg

http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t285/acen_keren/image0042.jpg

http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t285/acen_keren/image004.jpg

http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t285/acen_keren/image0062.jpg

http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t285/acen_keren/image006.jpg

http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t285/acen_keren/image008.jpg

http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t285/acen_keren/image010.jpg

http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t285/acen_keren/image012.jpg

http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t285/acen_keren/image014.jpg

http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t285/acen_keren/image016.jpg

http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t285/acen_keren/New_Si4.jpg

http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t285/acen_keren/New_Si5.jpg

http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t285/acen_keren/New_Si6.jpg

http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t285/acen_keren/New_Si8.gif

http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t285/acen_keren/New_Si9.jpg

http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t285/acen_keren/New_Si10.jpg

http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t285/acen_keren/New_Si11.jpg

http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t285/acen_keren/New_Si12.jpg

http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t285/acen_keren/New_Si13.jpg

http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t285/acen_keren/New_Si27.gif

http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t285/acen_keren/Small_NewAirport.jpg

14 October 2006

http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t285/acen_keren/New_term2.jpg

11 March 2007

http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t285/acen_keren/S5003319.jpg

CGE SABAY TAYONG LAHAT NA MAGLAWAY!!!

kiretoce

January 23rd, 2008, 03:51 AM

Manila-X

January 23rd, 2008, 04:19 AM

I can't answer that. Though the disparity between rich and poor must be greater in our country since a foreigner friend who had lived there for more than a year commented that he was surprised to see vagrants in Manila which he never chanced upon in Saigon or Ho Chi Minh...

Actually Malaysia has the widest gap between the rich and the poor in SEA.

Why do I feel like I was transported back in time....oh, yeah....now I remember, this thread is beginning to look like....

CvC

:ohno: Tsk..tsk..tsk..better watch yourselves, this is walking on thin ice. :nono:

Its becoming like that but again, this is The Philippine forums so Filipinos have the homecourt advantage :D

amigo32

January 23rd, 2008, 09:27 AM

Where's the poll.

I want to vote for my beloved country the Philippines:D

I need to reactivate my multiple accounts now.:lol::lol::lol:

animelover

January 23rd, 2008, 11:34 AM

^^I am really jealous of that new airport...

I felt small just looking at it.

But I am happy that the government is giving infrastracture high priority coz we sorely need those to attract foreign investors.

Arkdriver

January 23rd, 2008, 11:54 AM

philippines have no appetite for sporting facilities. We're really behind that. Vietnam has proper sports complex, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand has many. We can only afford sit amongst Cambodia and Laos. Shameful. Or GDP PPP is much higher than those 2 countries but our sporting facilities are awful.

What we can learn from neighbours? We must learn to instill sporting culture in the society. Give support to our athletes and emphasize on proper training for youth.

le Reine

January 23rd, 2008, 01:06 PM

LordCarnal

January 23rd, 2008, 06:06 PM

Watch this video, hopefully this will inspire all Filipinos...

Video by Bigfoot Entertainment

E1tGCYfKRC8

..

AH-7Raja

January 24th, 2008, 12:35 AM

Why do I feel like I was transported back in time....oh, yeah....now I remember, this thread is beginning to look like....

CvC

:ohno: Tsk..tsk..tsk..better watch yourselves, this is walking on thin ice. :nono:

My apologies, i didn't mean to harm and sound negative from any of my recent posts. Im just showing to everyone how successful the indonesians are in sustaining their economic growth and how they able to build an airport without any hussles. This is something that we filipinos should look at and ask our selves why? If our indonesian friends were able to start building an airport wort billions of dollars, why can't we when in fact even the indonesian government is facing some corruption scandals?

Whats CvC means btw?

OK, here are my questions to change the course of discussion:

what could we learn from our neighbors?

why do they have lower costs of production than us? (electricity, wages, etc) what should we do to make it at least at par or lower than them?

...which means more foreign and local investments

what's wrong with our bureaucracy? why can't we be more efficient and fast than our neighbors? do we need more laws?

does our system of government hinders economic growth? or are we just too protectionist compared to our neighbors?

what are the bright spots or promising sectors in our economy that we should maximize and develop?

any suggestions?

First of ll, I think our government should have more control in our media, because the media can sometimes do more harm than good to our public by sometimes exagerating things, or by misinterpretation of reports by its journalists. Or perhaps, our journalists should retake their training and professionalism.

I believe that the government system has something to do with how fast our progress should be. Because there are actually dozens of impending laws that haven't been passed yet, and it affects our bureacracy in the philippines in a bad term. That's why we need an effective government system that can control our people and guide us to do the right thing.

I agree that we do have some good things happening under GMA. The tourism industry for example is enjoying its highest collected revenue ever so far in the history of the philippines, and it is a potential boost for our economy, and is beneficial in the long run. In fact tourism itself can help us sustain our economic growth and provide us more revenues to help our government fund its numerous programs and projects from our economic, social, educational, and all other government sectors. Tourism is billion dollar revenue.

Take a look at china, japan, malaysia, indonesia, and thailand who so far enjoying the most inflock of tourists from all over the world among all the asian nations. Our country is in fact a potential hit if only we can develop our infrastructures specially for tourisms, including modern airports, hotels, theme parks, security, and other water and land transportation network. The priority of the developments have to be at the right areas though like near our tourist spots.

:cheers:

Watch this video, hopefully this will inspire all Filipinos...

Video by Bigfoot Entertainment

E1tGCYfKRC8

..

Its encouraging.

BTW, was there any plans to put up a cable ride system there aound the banaue rice terreces? Tnx.

kiretoce

January 24th, 2008, 04:32 AM

Whats CvC means btw?

It's a term from a bygone era here on SSC. It means City vs City, or Country vs Country. It was fun while it lasted but also a headache for mods to keep the peace in the threads and to referee staunch combatants that will the defend the honor of their respective turfs. :lol:

bitoy

January 24th, 2008, 05:12 AM

^^ The big difference on this one is how we show the better side of other SEA Nations and the things that we really should have.

(in short, we don't have a lot of those things that our neighbors enjoy.) :lol:

Arkdriver

January 24th, 2008, 08:09 AM

LordCarnal

January 24th, 2008, 08:50 AM

^^

Reminds me of Nick Joaquin's essay, "A Heritage of Smallness"

AH-7Raja

January 24th, 2008, 01:54 PM

Thanks kiretoce! Now i know why hehehe....:lol: Ok next time ill try my best to keep away from posting anything near it.... :)

Compare to our neighbour, we lack (physical infra):

bridge
tunnel
sports complex
historic building preservation
strong military (now it's like more politically-inclined military, more politics than equipment)

on par :

airports (despite NAIA 3 fiasco we still have acceptable airports)
rail transportation (the first country in SEA to have MRT)
seaports

undergoing :

international class highway

I agree. One thing though, that DMIA expansion plan may bring us a little bit at par with them specially w/ the indonesian new int'l airport that is being built right now. Pero syempre kulang parin sa runway ang DMIA kahitna matapos na yung plano nila dun.

ALso we really need to put up a BRT system! :banana:

garzland

January 25th, 2008, 12:22 AM

Compare to our neighbour, we lack (physical infra):

bridge
tunnel
sports complex
historic building preservation
strong military (now it's like more politically-inclined military, more politics than equipment)

on par :

airports (despite NAIA 3 fiasco we still have acceptable airports)
rail transportation (the first country in SEA to have MRT)
seaports

undergoing :

international class highway

I agree, our highways are becoming world class...But we really lack in those areas mentioned above, especially in bridge designs and historic preservation -- these are the two areas which the government must also pay attention...

zhock2001

January 27th, 2008, 06:49 AM

oh i dont see this as a CvC at all... it would be that if we keep on boasting about what we have and what others dont have... but the trend here, being the reverse would be more of an eye opener! we have no reasons to say ouch when what hurts is actually the result of what we did and what we failed to do...

when can filipinos be inspired to do better things...??? we don't have to be mediocre on microscopic achievements coz we can accomplish bigger things... i hope politicians get to see this thread...

and as for us forumers here, i know it sucks, and to some extent i feel the same way when we get to some sort of comparrisons between us and them... but hey, aren't we supposed to be more tolerant on the wider world of facts... one reason why we never have the momentum to improve is because we limit what we see to the things that we wanna see... its a whole world out there that matters, and whether we like it or not, we will BE compared, and that happens more than how much we think it happens... it is because of PRIDE, why it hurts when the state of our sorry nation is revealed...

i had an uncle who works for the american government (early-mid 1990s) and who helps vietnamese refugees here in RP, what amazed me is that when we visited their "village" i was expecting merciful conditions but what i saw was a flourishing community, almost complete with basic services... people are poor, yes they are, but the general appearance of their community was a lot better than most of our villages... and i have come up with these observations:
1. they (vietnamese) pay attention to details... in the general appearance of their community...
even bamboo fences are carefully measured and painted...
2. they have a system... we also do, but they give importance to theirs...
3. they practice their rights RESPONSIBLY!

Dek Thai

January 27th, 2008, 09:46 AM

Hehehe..this thread is still alive. The name of the thread has been changed kindly in a resonable acceptance ;) ^^^^ I agree with you about vietnamese. You can see from their colorful houses. I don't know if this's true from what I have heard that vietnamese will repaint their houses every one or two years.

AH-7Raja

January 29th, 2008, 04:20 AM

Manila-X

January 29th, 2008, 06:10 AM

gUMQhnSYAHA

wheel of steel

January 29th, 2008, 06:17 AM

^^ he he he... the economic craze has just reach Philippines...

The question after 15 years would be... What other nations have learned from experiences of the Philippiness.. he he he..:cheers::cheers::cheers:

crappypants

January 29th, 2008, 07:10 AM

it's not the uturn slots that's the problem. it's the helter skelter maniac ways filipino motorists drive. if they stayed in their lanes and drove like normal people there would be less accidents.

amras

January 29th, 2008, 07:16 AM

We're not talking about the things we are supposed to talk about. I guess, the economy thread would be more appropriate. :ohno: Kimber's right, it's starting to become a CvC thread. I'm disappointed.

OK, here are my questions to change the course of discussion:

what could we learn from our neighbors?

why do they have lower costs of production than us? (electricity, wages, etc) what should we do to make it at least at par or lower than them?

...which means more foreign and local investments

what's wrong with our bureaucracy? why can't we be more efficient and fast than our neighbors? do we need more laws?

does our system of government hinders economic growth? or are we just too protectionist compared to our neighbors?

what are the bright spots or promising sectors in our economy that we should maximize and develop?

any suggestions?

actually I thought this thread will go along these questions you've posted XP. but this thread is clearly just stating the facts that we already know... And comments like "sama-sama tayong maglaway" is very disappointing.

I'm thinking more on the idea that we could act like a "think-thank" group or something, where we could discuss things more sytematically. For instance we could highlight a particular area like land Transportation. We could then talk about what kind of system we have in place, see what other countries have, and think on how we could adapt their methods and make it work for our country.

I mean we could be our own senators/cabinet here, less the politics. ^^

bitoy

January 29th, 2008, 07:44 AM

actually I thought this thread will go along these questions you've posted XP. but this thread is clearly just stating the facts that we already know... And comments like "sama-sama tayong maglaway" is very disappointing.

I'm thinking more on the idea that we could act like a "think-thank" group or something, where we could discuss things more sytematically. For instance we could highlight a particular area like land Transportation. We could then talk about what kind of system we have in place, see what other countries have, and think on how we could adapt their methods and make it work for our country.

I mean we could be our own senators/cabinet here, less the politics. ^^

You mean Think Tank, not Isip-Salamat... :lol:

Anyways, I think this thread is really stating those things that we don't have and to discuss them fully if we can have those or why we can't and not having any of them for some reasons.

brownman

January 29th, 2008, 08:07 AM

The best thing that the government can do or us Filipinos is to have an objective and set guidelines and priorities. It would be much better if we focus on one subject - deal w/ it and finish it. Then off we go to the next. What I noticed from our side is although we have a lot of projects and proposals we tend to try to handle it all at once like we multi-task. Let me make it clear, multi-tasking is good if you can handle what you think you only could handle. But in our case, we're just trying to squeeze everything in just a single handful. And then that's when everything falls down. So, it would be better if we focus on things one step at a time.

Animo

January 29th, 2008, 10:05 PM

By Barth Suretsky
Undated

My decision to move to Manila was not a precipitous one. I used to
work in New York as an outside agent for PAL, and I have been coming
to the Philippines since August, 1982. I was so impressed with the
country, and with the interesting people I met, some of which have
become very close friends to this day, that I asked for and was
granted a year’s sabbatical from my teaching job in order to live in
the Philippines.

I arrived here on August 21, 1983, several hours after Ninoy Aquino
was shot, and remained here until June of 1984. During that year I
visited many parts of the country, from as far north as Laoag to as
far south as Zamboanga, and including Palawan. I became deeply
immersed in the history and culture of the archipelago, and an avid
collector of tribal antiquities from both northern Luzon, and
Mindanao.

In subsequent years I visited the Philippines in 1985, 1987, and
1991, before deciding to move here permanently in 1998. I love this
country, but not uncritically, and that is the purpose of this
article. First, however, I will say that I would not consider living
anywhere else in Asia, no matter how attractive certain aspects of
other neighboring countries may be.

To begin with, and this is most important, with all its faults, the
Philippines is still a democracy, more so than any other nation in
Southeast Asia. Despite gross corruption, the legal system generally
works, and if ever confronted with having to employ it, I would feel
much more safe trusting the courts here than in any other place in
the surrounding area.

The press here is unquestionably the most unfettered and
freewheeling in Asia, and I do not believe that is hyperbole in any
way! And if any one thing can be used as a yardstick to measure the
extent of the democratic process in any given country in the world,
it is the extent to which the press is free.

But the Philippines is a flawed democracy nevertheless, and the flaws
are deeply rooted in the Philippine psyche. I will elaborate… The
basic problem seems to me, after many years of observation, to be a
national inferiority complex, a disturbing lack of pride in being
Filipino.

Toward the end of April I spent eight days in Vietnam, visiting
Hanoi, Hue, and Ho Chi Minh City. I am certainly no expert on
Vietnam, but what I saw could not be denied: I saw a country ravaged
as no other country has been in this century by thirty years of
continuous and incredibly barbaric warfare. When the Vietnam War
ended in April, 1975, the country was totally devastated. Yet in the
past twenty-five years the nation has healed and rebuilt itself
almost miraculously! The countryside has been replanted and
reforested. Hanoi and HCMC have been beautifully restored.

The opera house in Hanoi is a splendid restoration of the original,
modeled after the Opera in Paris, and the gorgeous Second Empire
theater, on the main square of HCMC is as it was when built by the
French a century ago. The streets are tree-lined, clean, and
conducive for strolling. Cafes in the French style proliferate on
the wide boulevards of HCMC. I am not praising the government of
Vietnam, which still has a long way to travel on the road to
democracy, but I do praise, and praise unstintingly, the pride of
the Vietnamese people.

It is due to this pride in being Vietnamese that has enabled its
citizenry to undertake the miracle of restoration that I have
described above. When I returned to Manila I became so depressed
that I was actually physically ill for days thereafter.

Why? Well, let’s go back to a period when the Philippines resembled
the Vietnam of 1975. It was 1945, the end of World War II, and
Manila, as well as many other cities, lay in ruins. (As a matter of
fact, it may not be generally known, but Manila was the second most
destroyed city in the entire war; only Warsaw was more demolished!)

But to compare Manila in 1970, twenty-five years after the end of
the war, with HCMC, twenty-five years after the end of its war, is a
sad exercise indeed. Far from restoring the city to its former
glory, by 1970 Manila was well on its way to being the most tawdry
city in Southeast Asia. And since that time the situation has
deteriorated alarmingly. We have a city full of street people,
beggars, and squatters. We have a city that floods sections
whenever there is a rainstorm, and that loses electricity with every
clap of thunder. We have a city full of potholes, and on these
unrepaired roads we have a traffic situation second to none in the
world for sheer unmanageability.

We have rude drivers, taxis that routinely refuse to take passengers
because of “many trappic!” The roads are also cursed with pollution-
spewing buses in disreputable states of repair, and that ultimate
anachronism, the jeepney! We have an educational system that allows
children to attend schools without desks or books to accommodate
them. Teachers, even college professors, are paid salaries so
disgracefully low that it’s a wonder that anyone would want to go
into the teaching profession in the first place. We have a war in
Mindanao that nobody seems to have a clue how to settle.

The only policy to deal with the war seems to be to react to what
happens daily, with no long range plan whatever. I could go on and
on, but it is an endeavor so filled with futility that it hurts me
to go on. It hurts me because, in spite of everything, I love the
Philippines

Maybe it will sound simplistic, but to go back to what I said above,
it is my unshakable belief that the fundamental thing wrong with this
country is a lack of pride in being Filipino. A friend once remarked
to me, laconically: “All Filipinos want to be something else. The
poor ones want to be American, and the rich ones all want to be
Spaniards. Nobody wants to be Filipino.”

That statement would appear to be a rather simplistic one, and
perhaps it is. However, I know one Filipino who refuses to enter a
theater until the national anthem has stopped being played because
he doesn’t want to honor his own country, and I know another one who
thinks that history stopped dead in 1898 when the Spaniards
departed!

While it is certainly true that these represent extreme examples of
national denial, the truth is not a pretty picture. Filipinos tend
to worship, almost slavishly, everything foreign. If it comes from
Italy or France it has to be better than anything made here.

If the idea is American or German it has to be superior to anything
that Filipinos can think up for themselves. Foreigners are looked up
to and idolized. Foreigners can go anywhere without question. In my
own personal experience I remember attending recently an affair at a
major museum here. I had forgotten to bring my invitation. But while
Filipinos entering the museum were checked for invitations, I was
simply waived through. This sort of thing happens so often here that
it just accepted routine.

All of these things, the illogical respect given to foreigners
simply because they are not Filipinos, the distrust and even
disrespect shown to any homegrown merchandise, the neglect of
anything Philippine, the rudeness of taxi drivers, the ill-manners
shown by many Filipinos are all symptomatic of a lack of self-love,
of respect for and love of the country in which they were born, and
worst of all, a static mind-set in regard to finding ways to improve
the situation.

Most Filipinos, when confronted with evidence of governmental
corruption, political chicanery, or gross exploitation on the part
of the business community, simply shrug their shoulders,
mutter “bahala na,” and let it go at that. It is an
oversimplification to say this, but it is not without a grain of
truth to say that Filipinos feel downtrodden because they allow
themselves to feel downtrodden. No pride.

One of the most egregious examples of this lack of pride, this
uncaring attitude to their own past or past culture, is the wretched
state of surviving architectural landmarks in Manila and elsewhere.
During the American period many beautiful and imposing buildings
were built, in what we now call the “art deco” style (although,
incidentally, that was not a contemporary term; it was coined only
in the 1960s). These were beautiful edifices, mostly erected during,
or just before, the Commonwealth period.

Three, which are still standing, are the Jai Alai Building, the
Metropolitan Theater, and the Rizal Stadium. Fortunately, due to the
truly noble efforts of my friend John Silva, the Jai Alai Building
will now be saved. But unless something is done to the most
beautiful and original of these three masterpieces of pre-war
Philippine architecture, the Metropolitan Theater, it will
disintegrate. The Rizal Stadium is in equally wretched shape.

When the wreckers’ ball destroyed Frank Lloyd Wright’s Imperial
Hotel in Tokyo, and New York City’s most magnificent building,
Pennsylvania Station, both in 1963, Ada Louise Huxtable, then the
architectural critic of The New York Times, wrote: “A disposable
culture loses the right to call itself a civilization at all!” How
right she was! (Fortunately, the destruction of Pennsylvania Station
proved to be the sacrificial catalyst that resulted in the creation
of New York’s Landmark Commission. Would that such a commission be
created for Manila…)

Are there historical reasons for this lack of national pride? We can
say that until the arrival of the Spaniards there was no sense of a
unified archipelago constituted as one country. True. We can also
say that the high cultures of other nations in the region seemed,
unfortunately, to have bypassed the Philippines; there are no
Angkors, no Ayuttayas, no
Borobudurs. True.

Centuries of contact with the high cultures” of the Khmers and the
Chinese had, except for the proliferation of Song dynasty pottery
found throughout the archipelago, no noticeable effect. True.

But all that aside, what was here? To begin with, the ancient rice
terraces, now threatened with disintegration, incidentally, was an
incredible feat of engineering for so-called “primitive” people. As
a matter of fact, when I first saw them in 1984, I was almost as awe-
stricken as I was when I first laid eyes on the astonishing Inca
city of Machu Picchu, high in the Peruvian Andes.

The degree of artistry exhibited by the various tribes of the
Cordillera of Luzon is testimony to a remarkable culture, second to
none in the Southeast Asian region. As for Mindanao, at the other
end of the archipelago, an equally high degree of artistry has been
manifest for centuries in woodcarving, weaving and metalwork.

However, the most shocking aspect of this lack of national pride,
even identity, endemic in the average Filipino, is the appalling
ignorance of the history of the archipelago since unified by Spain
and named Filipinas.

The remarkable stories concerning the Galleon de Manila, the
courageous repulsion of Dutch and British invaders from the 16th
through the 18th centuries, even the origins of the Independence
movement of the late 19th century, are hardly known by the average
Filipino in any meaningful way.

And thanks to fifty years of American brainwashing, it is few and
far between the number of Filipinos who really know - or even care -
about the duplicity employed by the Americans and Spaniards to sell
out and make meaningless the very independent state that Aguinaldo
declared on June 12, 1898.

A people without a sense of history is a people doomed to be unaware
of their own identity. It is sad to say, but true, that the vast
majority of Filipinos fall in this category. Without a sense of who
you are, how can you possibly take any pride in who you are?

These are not oversimplifications. On the contrary, these are the
root problems of the Philippine inferiority complex referred to
above. Until the Filipino takes pride in being Filipino these ills
of the soul will never be cured.

If what I have written here can help, even in the smallest way, to
make the Filipino aware of just who he is, who he was, and who he
can be, I will be one happy expat indeed!*****

AH-7Raja

January 30th, 2008, 05:44 AM

kalokohan lng yan

amras

January 30th, 2008, 06:07 AM

You mean Think Tank, not Isip-Salamat... :lol:

Anyways, I think this thread is really stating those things that we don't have and to discuss them fully if we can have those or why we can't and not having any of them for some reasons.

ay sorry po.. haha... nagmamadali kasi ako nagtatype nyan, baka makita ako ni boss:lol:

Nabartek

January 31st, 2008, 04:39 AM

I remember my Labor Code prof who handles Labor cases. He himself admitted that the government is babying the workers.

Tignan mo naman, yung mga 'bonuses' eh halos gawin nang mandatory rather than incentive sa mga vey productive workers. Kaya tuloy, pati mga tamad, kasing rami yung nakukuhang bonuses ng sa mga nagtratrabaho talaga.

neyoneyo80

January 31st, 2008, 12:41 PM

bump... :wave: re:thread title... there is so much to learn, we just don't want to..... imo lang po.... :cheers:

indistad

January 31st, 2008, 02:52 PM

Hey guys

Just wanna correct: the airport shown here is not located in Jakarta and is not our main hub. Its located in Makassar in Celebes island, around more than 800 km from Jakarta and is the hub for Indonesia's eastern isles. We're building several airports starting this year, the largest of which is Medan Kualanamu (hopefully done by 2010). But then again, Indonesia is a huge sprawling archipelago where air transport and airports are sorely needed.

If you want my opinion, one of the main reason for Indonesia's economic growth, other than the traditional strong-man rule and a policy of economic regional integration, is that Jakarta is part of a geographically compact economically integrated arc starting from Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur to the center in Singapore and then moving southward to Jakata. I think this area is much more economically integrated and thus it is easier to benefit from one another. While Manila is far from Southeast Asia's economic centre.

NOVO ECIJANO

January 31st, 2008, 06:02 PM

^^that airport is awesome,its good to know that Indonesia is fast catching up with Asean neighbors.

AH-7Raja

January 31st, 2008, 08:12 PM

Hey guys

While Manila is far from Southeast Asia's economic centre.

Nope. Its not the distance that affected our economic slump in the past 30 yrs, rather it was mostly due of our misgovernance by the elected people in the government.

This is the current ASEAN economic triangle:

THAILAND
SINGAPORE
INDONESIA
PHILIPPINES
VIETNAM
BRUNEI
CAMBODIA
http://a537.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/125/l_55b9a1b2b517da853d07926b385c7720.jpg

And this is the one you were claiming:
SINGAPORE
THAILAND
INDONESIA
MALAYSIA
BRUNEI
CAMBODIA
http://a166.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/108/l_75e2d2385568cd2608f18acbad422ae5.jpg

Manila is in fact the original center of southeast asian economic triangle and not singapore. Singapore is farther out west from the north american, south american, and northeast asian economic powerhouse. Manila was the main hub of trade from all over the world for centuries because of its strategic location, thats why the philippines were originally called, the "Pearl of the Orient", w/c now was transfered to the singaporians because of its british-inspired economic growth.

Watch out we are fast catching up though and taking that glory back to us slowly but surely. :cheers:

Espma

February 1st, 2008, 01:42 AM

^^lol I was gonna say a similar sentiment, claiming Singapore is the economic centre of SEA now.....better move it back to where it was decades ago.

indistad

February 1st, 2008, 04:23 AM

Manila-X

February 1st, 2008, 07:38 AM

Yes, but I said an economically integrated area, not geographical proximity per se. The region is compact because it is served by good transport network and because there is high amount of economic connection especially to Singapore. A large amount of Indonesian money is kept in Singapore and it is Indonesia's, Malaysia's and, although I'm not sure, probably Thailand's biggest economic partner in Southeast Asia. The geographic arc is integrated in that respect with Singapore as its centre. Singapore is a major processing centre for much of Indonesia's natural resources for instance. 30% of Singapore's high end apartments, for instance, is bought each year by Indonesian. So, we are more integrated together.

I hope the Philippines continues to grow, but I doubt it would ever be Southeast Asia's economic centre.

I hear it from alot that Malaysia will overtake Singapore as the economic centre of SEA.

As for now, I see two centres in SEA which is Singapore and Bangkok. Singapore serves as the centre for the Malay countries which includes Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei. Bangkok is the centre for the Indo-Chine part of SEA including Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and to some extent, Myanmar.

As for the Philippines, you're not gonna believe on my next post!

Manila-X

February 1st, 2008, 08:00 AM

Nope. Its not the distance that affected our economic slump in the past 30 yrs, rather it was mostly due of our misgovernance by the elected people in the government.

This is the current ASEAN economic triangle:

THAILAND
SINGAPORE
INDONESIA
PHILIPPINES
VIETNAM
BRUNEI
CAMBODIA

And this is the one you were claiming:
SINGAPORE
THAILAND
INDONESIA
MALAYSIA
BRUNEI
CAMBODIA

Manila is in fact the original center of southeast asian economic triangle and not singapore. Singapore is farther out west from the north american, south american, and northeast asian economic powerhouse. Manila was the main hub of trade from all over the world for centuries because of its strategic location, thats why the philippines were originally called, the "Pearl of the Orient", w/c now was transfered to the singaporians because of its british-inspired economic growth.

Watch out we are fast catching up though and taking that glory back to us slowly but surely. :cheers:

Here's how I actually see it. Here you go Indistad

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a41/hkwanch/map.jpg

Yes the Philippines is part of South East Asia and ASEAN but it's economic zone and partners are more that of HK, mainland China and Taiwan.

The Philippines especially Manila is closer to the regions I mentioned compared to those of Singapore/Malaysia/Indonesia. Manila is only an hour and 30 min flight to HK while its around 4 hours to Singapore.

Alot of multinational companies in Manila have HK as their regional centre instead of Singapore. This is primarily because of distance. And more Philippine businessmen deal with HK then with Singapore.

And if you at the history of The Philippines, HK plays an important role especially the country's independence.

RonnieR

February 1st, 2008, 08:15 AM

To Wanch, I agree. Filipinos travel a lot to Hongkong compared to Singapore. I have been to Jakarta and Surabaya in Indonesia (biggest and 2nd largest city), I can say that Manila and Cebu are comparable if not better than those cities. Yes, we have our own share of problems but definitely we will get over these and our economy is growing plus a lot of optimism nowadays.

crappypants

February 1st, 2008, 08:24 AM

whoah it's triangle vs triangle thread

Manila-X

February 1st, 2008, 08:36 AM

Manila-X

February 1st, 2008, 08:40 AM

Note that several Philippine companies have their investments in HK or in The Mainland. Examples would be of course, San Miguel.

IHdTLEGoKm4

chocolato1000

February 1st, 2008, 08:57 AM

^^ if i'm not mistaken, san miguel is the leading beer brand in HK.

Espma

February 1st, 2008, 09:46 AM

Manila-X

February 1st, 2008, 09:54 AM

^^ if i'm not mistaken, san miguel is the leading beer brand in HK.

Oh yes it it though The Philippines has the "original" taste :D

bitoy

February 1st, 2008, 09:57 AM

Oh yes it it though The Philippines has the "original" taste :D

Kaya pala iba lasa ng SMB sa HK, lasang 65% lang, kasi that's how much SMB brewery own its shareholdings. :lol:

Manila-X

February 1st, 2008, 10:01 AM

I like how you put it Wanch and to some extent it makes a lot of sense. Indochina has got their own "little club" so to speak (Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar), and so does the "Malay" nations (Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia). Due to the geographical proximity of Manila to Mainland China, Taiwan and HK it does make a lot of sense that Philippines can become more integrated with the mentioned countries/territories (economic wise of course) compared to the rest of SEA. Having said that; in this day and age, geography or distance doesnt really matter much.

In a way it does. But also connections and partnerships. Most of the Filipino companies I know and I deal with are already familiar and are connected to HK businessmen. My friends tried to deal with Singaporean clients but faced a bit of discrimination since Singapore would mostly side with either Malaysia or Indonesia.

On the other hand, Malaysia keeps a very strong tie with Singapore and so is Indonesia. Thus Singapore becomes the economic hub for these countries.

As for Singapore, note that it was part of the The Federation of Malaysia back in the mid-20th century but because of disagreements, Singapore left.

Manila-X

February 1st, 2008, 10:03 AM

Kaya pala iba lasa ng SMB sa HK, lasang 65% lang, kasi that's how much SMB brewery own its shareholdings. :lol:

Kaya biihira ako uminom ng San Mig sa HK.

kiretoce

February 1st, 2008, 11:36 AM

whoah it's triangle vs triangle thread

:lol: Zing! :bow:

indistad

February 1st, 2008, 08:06 PM

AH-7Raja

February 2nd, 2008, 04:04 PM

That's an interesting way of looking at it Wanch. I don't think though that Bangkok is the centre of a mainland Southeast Asian industrially-economically integrated area because, simply, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia does not have a significant industrial economy. Bangkok is certainly the industrial centre of Thailand, but although I'm not sure, I do think that Bangkok is probably also pretty integrated with Malaysia and Singapore.

Plus, I don't think the "Malay triangle" as you picture it in the map as being fully accurate just because the industrially connected area is still really limited to the Malay peninsula, Singapore, some parts of Sumatera and Java. But all in all, a pretty interesting discussion!

In fact, it was Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia who were the main contributors of the ASEAN economic growth during the early 1990's. Now its more like Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, Brunei, and Indonesia, who are in the major contributors and currently sharing the biggest growth of the ASEAN economies, with Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia as the other beneficiaries of these triangles. Because of this economic diversity in southeast asia, more than 10 years ago they came up of a new Economic Triangle plan spearheaded by the governments of the said countries and the Philippines who wanted to be back again and share the growth, to unify the ASEAN economies as i have previously posted.

Perhaps, because the Singapore is too small for any economic expansion and is indeed already developed, it was not included in the latest planned of economic triangles in contrast to what i and Wench previously illustrated. Although it will still play some important role to sustain the said economies and as well as it is still belonging to the southern triangle. As we can see there are the Northern, Southern, and Eastern ASEAN Growth Triangles.

http://www.wtec.org/loyola/em/f02_03.gif

BTW, Papua New Guinea is still isolated.

Determined to bring these underdeveloped areas into the mainstream of development, the heads of the governments of Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines discussed the concept of forming a sub-regional economic grouping as early as October 1992. After a series of disucssions among the leaders of those four countries, BIMP-EAGA was formally established on 26 March 1994 in Davao City, Philippines. During its establishment, our leaders cited the trading links which existed even before the 16th century, when these areas were part of the Asian trading route that stretched from North Asia to as far as India and the Arab Peninsula.

With the reported $10 billion investment in the philippines by the Kuwaitis late this year, plus the planned Bay City development in Manila in 3-5 yrs that worth another $10-15 billion investment as well, this country will emerge and may become the newest Tiger in southeast asia in the coming years. That total investment of $20-25 billion will also easily devour the previous $10 billion investments shared by the governments of Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand, on their first five years of growth 10 yrs ago.

REGIONAL ECONOMIC COOPERATION
One of the most important developments in the world trade system in the 1990s has been the emergence of regional cooperation. The end of the Cold War reduced political tensions between countries in Asia as well as globalizing production processes and increasing vertical integration. Cities like Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, and Singapore have been lifting their populations out of poverty in part through cooperative arrangements with neighboring countries. Transnational economic zones have utilized the different endowments of the various countries of East Asia, exploiting cooperative trade and development opportunities. Transfer of technology and manufacturing between nations has allowed them to develop sequentially. Information technology has improved linkages between economies and put remote regions in contact with the world. The private sector provides capital for investment; the public sector provides infrastructure, fiscal incentives, and the administrative framework to attract industry. Regional cooperation is now considered the means of enhancing economic development and providing economic security within the regions. Trade among ASEAN members accounted for more than 23% of all trade by member nations in 1994, topping that of any of the group's major trading partners.

Singapore has concentrated on becoming the technology center for Southeast Asia, sending labor-intensive operations to low-cost neighboring countries like Malaysia and Indonesia in special mutual cooperative trade and development arrangements known as growth triangles or growth polygons. The Southern Growth Triangle, also known as SIJORI (Singapore, the Johore state of Malaysia, and Riau Province of Indonesia), was formed in 1989 and covers a population of about 6 million people. It attracted $10 billion in private sector investments during its first five years. Such regional economic cooperation has occurred in other Asian regions as well, spurring economic development. Growth triangles are expected to be a continued driving force for growth in Asian economies throughout the 1990s. Four growth triangles have been established since 1989, involving parts of 11 countries. As shown on the map, Fig. 2.3, there are currently eight growth polygons in East and Southeast Asia, with additional triangles being planned. For example, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, and China's Yunnan Province have been discussing ways to develop the Mekong area since 1992.

Indonesia–Malaysia–Thailand Growth Triangle. The growth triangle comprises Sumatra (Indonesia), the eight southernmost provinces of Thailand, and eight states in Peninsular Malaysia, with a total population of more than 65 million. The year witnessed a substantial deepening of the relationship between ADB and the growth triangle cooperation initiative. Following their first summit in December 2005, the leaders of the countries asked ADB to help them develop a 5-year road map and action plan to rebuild dynamism and refocus the initiative. This road map was prepared and submitted for endorsement at the second Indonesia–Malaysia–Thailand Leaders’ Summit held in Cebu, Philippines, January 2007. The summit endorsed ADB’s status as a development partner of the growth triangle. The ministerial meeting in September 2006 in Selangor, Malaysia, requested ADB’s assistance in implementing the road map after its formal endorsement, including the development of flagship cooperation projects and the creation of financial mechanisms for increasing public and private investments in infrastructure and other sectors. Under a new regional technical assistance, ADB will also help the countries improve project implementation, coordination, and monitoring, and identify sectoral opportunities for private investment in regional projects.

Brunei Darussalam–Indonesia–Malaysia–Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area. ADB is the regional adviser to the growth area. At the countries’ second summit held in December 2005, a road map and action plan were endorsed for subregional cooperation. ADB helped implement the road map, in part by launching a trade and investment database. The database is an important tool for decision makers to monitor and quantify developments in the area, and to prioritize investment projects. Stakeholders can now access the database through the website of the Brunei Darussalam–Indonesia–Malaysia–Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area Facilitation Center. Cooperation in easing trade also gained momentum. Senior customs, immigration, quarantine, and security officials from the area attended the first task force meeting on customs, immigration, quarantine, and security in August 2006, organized with technical assistance from ADB and the German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ). They agreed to accelerate developing the area’s cooperation framework for customs, immigration, quarantine, and security to pilot-test the implementation of ASEAN agreements on easing cross-border movement of passengers and freight across land and maritime borders.

ADB helped prepare a draft action plan for development of the transport and energy sectors. In 2007, ADB will continue to support the area’s infrastructure development (transport and energy sectors); trade facilitation (harmonization of customs, immigration, quarantine, and security; and cross-border transport facilitation); and its efforts to improve coordination and monitoring with technical assistance approved in 2006. ADB will also explore opportunities in cooperation with other donors in the areas of agro-industrial development and environmental management.

http://www.wtec.org/loyola/em/02_07.htm
http://www.adb.org/Documents/Reports/Annual_Report/2006/southeast-asia.asp
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/1992/10/05/76921/index.htm
http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/EROPA/UNPAN001412.pdf

Adams3

February 2nd, 2008, 04:29 PM

Trade between Philippines, Chinese mainland hits record high
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-01-25 17:56

The trade volume between the Philippines and the Chinese mainland last year surged to a record high of $30.62 billion, the Chinese embassy in the Philippines said on Thursday.

The bilateral trade growth in 2007, an increase of almost ten-fold from $3.14 billion in 2000, is prominent, said Liang Wentao, China's Economic and Commercial Counselor in Manila.

The 2007 trade volume surpassed the $30 billion goal for 2010 that was set in 2005 when Chinese President Hu Jingtao visited the Philippines, he said, adding that the average annual increase over the past seven years in bilateral trade between the two countries is at a high of at least 35 percent.

"Since the start of the 21st century, the vigorous growth trend (between the two countries) is very prominent. By year 2006, the trade volume hit $23.41 billion or 360 times as much as that of 1975 when the two nations established diplomatic relations," the Chinese embassy official said.

The increasing trade volume between the Philippines and the Chinese mainland "strongly indicates the huge development potential of bilateral trade," he said.

The Philippines is the Chinese mainland's 19th biggest trading partner, and fourth among the ASEAN countries. Other ASEAN countries include Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

On the other hand, the Chinese mainland is now the third biggest trading partner of the Philippines, and China as a whole, the biggest if Philippine trade with Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Taiwan Province are included.

The diplomat attributes the consistent trade growth to the continuous strengthening of the friendly bilateral relationship.

"The frequent exchange of high-level visits by the leaders of both countries has greatly promoted the comprehensive cooperation between two sides in every field," he said.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao visited the Philippines in early 2007, while Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo visited China four times in the year alone, which "breaks the record ever made by a leader in visiting a specific country," Liang said.

The Chinese diplomat said from 2000 to 2007, the balance of trade between the Philippines and China has always been in favor of the Philippines, increasing from $220 million in 2000 to $15.62 billion in 2007.

Chinese exports to the Philippines consist of electronic products, textiles and clothing, steel, and light industrial products, among others. On the other hand, he said Philippine exports to China consists 80 percent electronic products.

"The trade complement between two sides needs to be enhanced," the counselor said.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2008-01/25/content_6421890.htm

indistad

February 3rd, 2008, 02:47 AM

I don't really think that these growth triangles are very much an expression of economic integration as it is political designs. The Riau-Singapore-Johore triangle maybe one of the few that can call itself truly economically integrated, but, for instance, the North-Celebes-Sarawak-Southern Philippines one is hardly economically integrated and hardly an industrial centre. Plus, you're down-playing Singapore's role in the geographic Arc I was talking about earlier as a service centre for the entire zone: as a financial, technical and knowledge centre. It is the only mature economy for the region and plays an important central role for trade and industry for the countries of Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand.

I think Vietnam is probably more integrated to China than we think. I'm not sure how much China-based FDI Vietnam receives. In Indonesia and Malaysia, the biggest source of their FDI actually comes from financially loaded Singapore. It would be interesting to see where the Philippines obtain most of their FDI. For instance, Indonesia received a little more than 10 billion dollars of realized FDI for the period of January-November 2007 and the biggest investor (about 3.7 billion) comes from Singapore.

Plus, I doubt that Brunei would have much of an impact on the overall economic growth of Southeast Asia as its economy is very small.

tigidig14

February 3rd, 2008, 03:44 AM

i like the circle better, it never ends
i dont like triangle with its 3 corners

bariQ

February 3rd, 2008, 04:49 AM

I agree, our highways are becoming world class...But we really lack in those areas mentioned above, especially in bridge designs and historic preservation -- these are the two areas which the government must also pay attention...

world class naman talaga ang highways natin, ang problema limited lang ito, kung lalabas kana sa malalaking syudad, hinde na masyadong maintained

Manila-X

February 3rd, 2008, 05:46 AM

Arkdriver

February 3rd, 2008, 06:33 AM

interesting discussion. But from my amateur observation, other than San Miguel, Filipino dont have other conglomerates/companies that really stands up and have their brand/company name well known. Malaysia and Singapore, their companies especially construction, finance, telcos, oil and gas player has long venture out from their countries to seek business at the other parts of the world.

Singapore's government investment arm Temasek, a cash rich company, despite few negative publicity from its dealing with Shin Corp of Thailand, acquired shares in some notable companies (you can google yourself about temasek). Malaysia's Khazanah Nasional is following their footstep but more modest in its approach as Malaysia's economy is less mature than Singapore thus opportunities in investing at local companies are abundant. However their hold stakes in two of Indonesia's top 10 banks (PT bank Lippo). Indirectly owned another bank through CIMB group. You can find their investment portfolio in their website. Although less impressive than Temasek, they're learning from them. I wonder if any Philippine Government has their own investment arm like Temasek and Khazanah. We can learn from that.

while Singapore and Malaysia send their companies abroad to source for jobs because of limited opportunities and saturated market at home, Philippine send their workers oversea to get cash. I've been long opposing this policy as it deprives our country of best brain and drive prices up (e.g. in healthcare sector).

I see the way of Malaysian and Singaporean companies go abroad for me it's a natural process of economy. Certainly their economy is smaller than the Philippines but like it or not they have taken a step forward and it would take us years before we see Philippine companies venture out abroad.

I somehow agreed with indistad, geographical may be an important role in economics development but Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia are clearly situated in a densed area of economic activities in SEA. You can see they have the busiest strait (Malacca strait), Port Klang, Port of Tanjung Pelepas and Singapore Port, Changi Airport, Suvarnabhumi and KLIA. Singapore-Kunming heavy rail line. Etc etc.

Their airlines. SIA has a stake in Virgin Atlantic and Tiger Airways. Air asia Malaysia spread their wings to Thailand and Indonesia. Indonesia's Lion air is in the midst of setting up their venture in Australia. Our airlines, may be a good quality per se but seems to like the comfort of home and refuse to venture out. Even shutting down the market for Tiger Airways.

Conclusion is i think Philippine companies lack competitions. We must open up our market to encourage foreign business to invest here. Then, of course FDI will flows and maybe we can compete with Vietnam in attracting more money from abroad.

I don't know when will the Philippines get back their Pearl Of the Orient status, despite strong growth but we're still behind (at least moving). Talking about growth the small Singapore registered higher growth than us.

I'm just an amateur, i welcome any correction and suggestion.

vkameleon

February 3rd, 2008, 07:34 AM

bloodyred

February 3rd, 2008, 03:31 PM

Yes, but I said an economically integrated area, not geographical proximity per se. The region is compact because it is served by good transport network and because there is high amount of economic connection especially to Singapore. A large amount of Indonesian money is kept in Singapore and it is Indonesia's, Malaysia's and, although I'm not sure, probably Thailand's biggest economic partner in Southeast Asia. The geographic arc is integrated in that respect with Singapore as its centre. Singapore is a major processing centre for much of Indonesia's natural resources for instance. 30% of Singapore's high end apartments, for instance, is bought each year by Indonesian. So, we are more integrated together.

I hope the Philippines continues to grow, but I doubt it would ever be Southeast Asia's economic centre.

The Philippines has all the elements to become SEA's economic centre. If we Filipinos get our asses right and stop politicking and corruption we can become SEA's richest country. I know I'm being an optimistic here, but according to a PricewaterhouseCoopers' study, Metro Manila may become the richest city in SEA by 2020 and is ranked 30 among other cities in the world! Kaya natin to, at makakaya natin to!:cheers::cheers:
SOURCE (http://www.citymayors.com/statistics/richest-cities-2020.html)
Among SEA countries:
*City Urban Area / Country
Est GDP in 2020 in US$ /Est Annual Growth 2005-2020

1. Metro Manila, Philippines
$257 Billion, 5.90%

2. Jakarta, Indonesia
$253 Billion, 6.50%

3. Singapore, Singapore
$218 Billion, 3.60%

4. Bangkok, Thailand
$180 Billion, 4.80%

5. Ho Chi Min City, Vietnam
$98 Billion, 6.50%

6. Hanoi, Vietnam
$73 Billion, 6.60%

7. Bandung, Indonesia
$69 Billion, 6.70%

8. Yangon, Burma
$33 Billion, 4.80%

AH-7Raja

February 3rd, 2008, 05:58 PM

The Philippines has all the elements to become SEA's economic centre. If we Filipinos get our asses right and stop politicking and corruption we can become SEA's richest country. I know I'm being an optimistic here, but according to a PricewaterhouseCoopers' study, Metro Manila may become the richest city in SEA by 2020 and is ranked 30 among other cities in the world! Kaya natin to, at makakaya natin to!:cheers::cheers:
SOURCE (http://www.citymayors.com/statistics/richest-cities-2020.html)
Among SEA countries:
*City Urban Area / Country
Est GDP in 2020 in US$ /Est Annual Growth 2005-2020

1. Metro Manila, Philippines
$257 Billion, 5.90%

2. Jakarta, Indonesia
$253 Billion, 6.50%

3. Singapore, Singapore
$218 Billion, 3.60%

4. Bangkok, Thailand
$180 Billion, 4.80%

5. Ho Chi Min City, Vietnam
$98 Billion, 6.50%

6. Hanoi, Vietnam
$73 Billion, 6.60%

7. Bandung, Indonesia
$69 Billion, 6.70%

8. Yangon, Burma
$33 Billion, 4.80%

Well that's an interesting analyis... What more if we finally developed the planned Manila Bay City? :banana:

Trade between Philippines, Chinese mainland hits record high
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-01-25 17:56

The trade volume between the Philippines and the Chinese mainland last year surged to a record high of $30.62 billion, the Chinese embassy in the Philippines said on Thursday.

The bilateral trade growth in 2007, an increase of almost ten-fold from $3.14 billion in 2000, is prominent, said Liang Wentao, China's Economic and Commercial Counselor in Manila.

The 2007 trade volume surpassed the $30 billion goal for 2010 that was set in 2005 when Chinese President Hu Jingtao visited the Philippines, he said, adding that the average annual increase over the past seven years in bilateral trade between the two countries is at a high of at least 35 percent.

"Since the start of the 21st century, the vigorous growth trend (between the two countries) is very prominent. By year 2006, the trade volume hit $23.41 billion or 360 times as much as that of 1975 when the two nations established diplomatic relations," the Chinese embassy official said.

The increasing trade volume between the Philippines and the Chinese mainland "strongly indicates the huge development potential of bilateral trade," he said.

The Philippines is the Chinese mainland's 19th biggest trading partner, and fourth among the ASEAN countries. Other ASEAN countries include Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

On the other hand, the Chinese mainland is now the third biggest trading partner of the Philippines, and China as a whole, the biggest if Philippine trade with Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Taiwan Province are included.

The diplomat attributes the consistent trade growth to the continuous strengthening of the friendly bilateral relationship.

"The frequent exchange of high-level visits by the leaders of both countries has greatly promoted the comprehensive cooperation between two sides in every field," he said.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao visited the Philippines in early 2007, while Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo visited China four times in the year alone, which "breaks the record ever made by a leader in visiting a specific country," Liang said.

The Chinese diplomat said from 2000 to 2007, the balance of trade between the Philippines and China has always been in favor of the Philippines, increasing from $220 million in 2000 to $15.62 billion in 2007.

Chinese exports to the Philippines consist of electronic products, textiles and clothing, steel, and light industrial products, among others. On the other hand, he said Philippine exports to China consists 80 percent electronic products.

"The trade complement between two sides needs to be enhanced," the counselor said.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2008-01/25/content_6421890.htm

That is exactly what our government should be doing, developing that philippines' northeast asian triangle as what Wench illustrated to us, with China, HK, and Taiwan as our "other" triangle economic growth partners. This is also good because we can't just rely too much from our american trade partner... Actually i think the philippines should also look more to invest at our middleastern asian friends... :banana:

le Reine

February 3rd, 2008, 06:04 PM

^^we also have to develop our economic ties with EU and Latin America esp Mexico, Chile and Brazil. They are growing really fast. We could learn from them esp that we almost have the same culture.

indistad

February 3rd, 2008, 06:05 PM

For the 2020 prediction, these type of calculations are very fickle. It requires a constant (or constantly increasing) amount of growth rate for the whole period. The problem is that, growth rate is also a fickle thing which will have to take into account many conditional factors which will likely change in the coming years. Such calculations, for most of the time, will likely amount to almost nothing.

AH-7Raja

February 3rd, 2008, 06:06 PM

le Reine

February 3rd, 2008, 06:07 PM

^^yes. I agree. There are many things that could happen in 23 years. It's just a prediction, anyway.

AH-7Raja

February 3rd, 2008, 06:08 PM

^^we also have to develop our economic ties with EU and Latin America esp Mexico, Chile and Brazil. They are growing really fast. We could learn from them esp that we almost have the same culture.

I agree. Specially now that the RP government hve reinstated the Spanish Language. :cheers:

indistad

February 3rd, 2008, 06:09 PM

Interesting FDI figures for Vietnam. They are truly being integrated with the Northeast Asian economies. It actually mirrors what had happened to the Asian Tigers in the 1990s: with most source of growth from Northeast Asia. After the crisis, we see that more investment and trade figures occur on a regional level for Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore indicating increasing economic integration.

le Reine

February 3rd, 2008, 06:13 PM

I agree. Specially now that the RP government hve reinstated the Spanish Language. :cheers:And India too. I'm just glad that we are not so dependent on the US unlike before. At least we wouldn't be that affected... I hope.

AH-7Raja

February 3rd, 2008, 06:17 PM

a lil bit :)

Interesting FDI figures for Vietnam. They are truly being integrated with the Northeast Asian economies. It actually mirrors what had happened to the Asian Tigers in the 1990s: with most source of growth from Northeast Asia. After the crisis, we see that more investment and trade figures occur on a regional level for Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore indicating increasing economic integration.

What Vietnam??? Philippines though was the least affected by the asian flu...

THIS IS ANOTHER THING THAT WE SHOULD BE DOING, THE IMPLEMENTING OF BRT SYSTEM:

Bangkok's new form of mass transportation - the Bus Rapid Transit or BRT - is expected to boost property prices along its route, according to the research team at leading property consultants CB Richard Ellis.

Bangkok, Thailand (PRWEB) August 31, 2007 -- Bangkok's new form of mass transportation - the Bus Rapid Transit or BRT - is expected to boost property prices along its route, according to the research team at leading property consultants CB Richard Ellis http://www.cbre.co.th

The BRT is a bus system. The buses will mainly travel on exclusive lanes with no other traffic; however, the buses will share lanes with other vehicles in some parts of the route. The buses are also designed with a GPS system that will give them priority at traffic lights. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration will buy specially designed buses with a maximum capacity to carry 80-140 people per ride and the buses will depart every 5-10 minutes.

The first BRT route will start at the Chong Nonsi BTS station, run along Narathiwas-Ratchanakarin Road, to Rama III Road, across Rama III Bridge onto Ratchadapisek Road, and end at the Ratchada station of the extended BTS route to Thonburi.

The BRT project was proposed by Bangkok Governor Apirak Gosayothin in 2004, but it was only in January 2007 that the project was actually started. The project is expected to be ready for public use by the end of the first quarter of 2008.

The majority of buildings along the route are residential. There are currently about 14,000 to 15,000 completed condominium units along Narathiwas-Ratchanakarin and Rama III Roads. Some 5,900 condominium units are under construction. These projects are expected to be completed in 2007-2009, effectively raising the total condominium stock in the area to over 20,000 units in the next two years.

Also, there are currently close to 500,000 sq.m. of office space and some 53,000 sq.m. of retail space in the area. Retail developments along the route include Makro Sathon, Future Mart Plaza, and Tesco Lotus.

CB Richard Ellis believes that the better accessibility brought about by the BRT will increase demand for land and properties along the roads; however, the appreciation of properties will be closely linked with the quality of the bus system's service.

Land prices along established mass transit routes such as the BTS and MRT have risen substantially as people switch to using the mass transit system.

"The magnitude of the impact that the BRT will have on the property development in the areas along Narathiwas-Ratchanakarin and Rama III depends on the quality of BRT service. Some of the key factors to the success of the BRT system are the reliability and frequency of the buses. If the BRT proves to be a success story, the areas along Rama III and Narathiwas-Ratchanakarin Roads will be another location that both property developers and home buyers have to keep an eye on," said Mr. Navaphol Viriyakunkit, a Research Manager at CB Richard Ellis.

Transportation infrastructure such as mass transit systems always have a major impact on property development in metropolitan centers around the globe. In Bangkok, the BTS and MRT systems have gradually changed the way city dwellers in Bangkok live and commute. The change in lifestyle of people living in the capital has continued to affect property development in many ways.

Condominiums along mass transit lines have recently become popular among city dwellers who sacrifice larger space for closer proximity to the city. Access to a BTS or MRT station has become a critical factor in determining the success of retail and commercial developments.

Existing residents along the proposed route will look forward to the opening of the BRT route which if successful, will not only improve accessibility and reduce commute times, but also add to the attractiveness and value of properties along the route.

Source: PRWeb: Business Real Estate

http://extrarealty.blogspot.com/2007/08/cb-richard-ellis-thailand-predicts.html

Strategies Enhancing Bus Rapid Transit Development In Asean Developing Cities - A Case Study On Bangkok Metropolitan Administration Project

http://pubsindex.trb.org/orderform.html
Source Data: Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2007 Paper #07-2733

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) has increasingly become an attractive urban transit alternative in many Asian developing cities due to its cost-effectiveness, flexible implementation, and high performance. Nevertheless, it still seems difficult to introduce the BRT to these cities because almost all of their city structures have been developed under a solely road transport development city plan and a weakness in land use control giving rise to many problems, such as urban sprawl, traffic congestion, and air pollution. The purpose of this study aims to introduce strategies to support BRT implementation in Asian developing cities, such as a strategy to integrate appropriately the paratransit into BRT as being a feeder along the BRT corridor to supply demand. These proposing strategies are evaluated by applying demand forecasting and emission models to the BRT project plan of Bangkok Metropolitan Administration in Thailand. It has been demonstrated that the proposing strategies could effectively improve the BRT ridership, traffic condition, and air pollution emission of the entire system in Bangkok. This study could be further extended to include strategy recommendations if a BRT system is introduced to other Asian developing cities.

http://pubsindex.trb.org/document/view/default.asp?lbid=802372
----------------------------------------------------

I know why the RP government is not really keen on implementing the BRT system because they wouldn't be able to collect that much revenues from these private bus companies. Not unless if they find some way to... :cheers:

FROM INDIA:

Innovative Bus Systems Offering Affordable, Clean Urban Transport for Asia

AGRA, INDIA (8 December 2004) - At a time when many of Asia's cities are choking from the mass of vehicles on the roads, bus rapid transport (BRT) systems offer one relatively affordable, clean, and sustainable solution to urban pollution and public transport snarl-ups, according to an ADB official.

Under the BRT system, a section of the road, preferably the central part, is dedicated to buses that work like a light-rail transit system. BRT improves the quality of traffic on roads by putting the buses on a separate track, providing bus stations with level boarding and alighting, pre-pay systems, covered shelters and a place for users to park their cycles. Buses stop at designated stops, are clean, well maintained and the bus staff are well trained.

Realizing the importance of developing safe and sustainable urban transport systems in Asian cities, the ADB-supported Clean Air Initiative for Asian Cities (CAI-Asia) has launched a pilot project to develop a sustainable model of urban transport (PSUTA). The project is being tested in Pune, Hanoi and Xi'an. "This project will highlight that expensive rail systems are not the only solutions to public transport problems," says ADB Lead Transport Specialist Charles Melhuish. "There are other public transport possibilities, which these cities must consider. The Bus Rapid Transit system is one such solution."

This concept was pioneered in Curitiba, Brazil in 1970s. Curitiba has a good medium sized BRT with buses that can carry 280 passengers each.

A large number of cities in Latin America have started using a BRT system and several in Asia are considering it to meet their mass transit needs. BRT systems are currently operating in Kunming, People's Republic of China; Taipei,China; and several Japanese cities. They are under construction in Jakarta and Beijing and are being discussed in New Delhi and Seoul.

One of the most successful BRT systems in the world is in Bogota, where former Mayor Enrique Peñalosa borrowed from the Curitaba example to create not only the TransMillenio BRT, but also developed quality spaces for pedestrians and bicyclists.

But Bogota is not just about buses. "We had to build a city not for businesses or automobiles, but for children and people from all walks of life. Instead of building highways, we restricted car use," he says. "We invested in high-quality sidewalks, pedestrian streets, parks, bicycle paths, libraries; we got rid of thousands of cluttering commercial signs and planted trees. All our everyday efforts have one objective: Happiness," he says. According to Mr. Peñalosa, Governments must understand that parking on sidewalks is not a constitutional right.

"Till about 80 years ago, most people walked to work. Automobiles have enabled us to expand our cities and convert them into monsters," says Stockholm Environment Institute Research Leader Professor John Whitelegg. "We now build cities that respect vehicles and not human dignity. To me public transport is a matter of human rights. Roads are not safe for pedestrians and cyclists and there is chaos on the roads created by a huge population of private vehicles. The cities are noisy, the air polluted is, there's excessive traffic on the roads and the quality of life has deteriorated."

The World Health Organization estimates that urban air pollution annually contributes to about 800,000 deaths and 4.6 million lost life-years worldwide. A large percentage of the air pollution comes from vehicles. According to World Bank estimates, globally more than 1.17 million people die in road accidents every year, with 70% of these accidents happening in the developing countries and 65% involve pedestrians. More than 10 million are crippled or injured.

Many policymakers and governments believe creating a safe and environment-friendly transport system will cost millions of dollars. However, many environmentalists believe that it is actually the lack of political will to solve the urban transport problem, which leads to projects such as the BRT being overlooked.

"It is difficult to get governments to request us for support for urban transport. Most requests are made for big ticket projects like national highways", says Mr. Melhuish. If governments were to spend money on improving the urban public transport system and creating walkways, which are pedestrian and cyclist friendly, residents would be happier.

A BRT system can be 10 to 100 times cheaper to carry out than a rail system. "It provides metro level service at almost 1% of the cost. It can be planned and implemented in just three years," says Country Director for India, China, and Bangladesh of the Institute of Transportation and Development Policy Karl Fjellstrom. "What is important is to think about bus lanes, operations, management, and infrastructure all at the same time. Bogota spent US$6 million just on planning. On the other hand, Brisbane did not plan their system well and ended up spending US$11.2 million on redesigning just one BRT station."

The regulation of BRT and integration of non-motorized transport are important for successful implementation. "The success story of BRT system development in Jakarta through Indonesia Livable Community Initiative project has shifted approximately 14% of busway passengers from private car," says Indonesia Transport Researcher Tory Damantoro. "The existing busway system, however, lacks an integrated feeder system. Public transport route restructuring and institutional reforms are facing huge barriers due to conflicts of interest from the different stakeholders and sectors."

To succeed a public transport system has to encourage a shift from private transport and reduce congestion on the roads. It has to be seen as convenient and safe both for its users as well as pedestrians and cyclists.

"A sustainable transport system must provide mobility and accessibility to all urban residents in a safe and environment friendly mode of transport, which is a complex and difficult task," says Prof. Dinesh Mohan, of the Indian Institute of Technology in New Delhi. "Pedestrians, cyclists and non-motorized rickshaws form the most important part of mixed traffic."

In Indonesia, this situation has created an opportunity for cycling to become an environmental-friendly feeder for the BRT system. "The initiative is to provide a network of cycle paths as one of the busway feeder systems, says Mr. Damantaro. "Several preliminary outreach programs have been undertaken such as simulation of cycle paths and a 'bike-to-work' programme. Providing cycle paths will promote this mode of transport and change people's perception on cycling and other nonmotorized means of transport."

CAI-Asia has organized this week's ADB-supported workshop on Better Air Quality (BAQ) 2004, in Agra. Almost 650 people from 35 countries across the world are participating in what is the largest air quality workshop in Asia. Through presentations and focused discussions, BAQ 2004 will contribute to improving the science on which Air Quality Management (AQM) in Asia is based, strengthening the governance structure for urban AQM, and developing stronger stakeholder networks on AQM in Asia.

http://www.adb.org/media/Articles/2004/6447_india_baq/

Eriq

February 3rd, 2008, 07:12 PM

You should also look at TransJakarta, probably the best BRT system in SEA, modelled after Bogota's TransMillenio.

AH-7Raja

February 4th, 2008, 02:00 AM

You should also look at TransJakarta, probably the best BRT system in SEA, modelled after Bogota's TransMillenio.

yeah i checked it but couldn't find any photos yet... most of its parts though are still being constructed if im not mistaken...

Manila-X

February 4th, 2008, 04:51 AM

Well that's an interesting analyis... What more if we finally developed the planned Manila Bay City? :banana:

That is exactly what our government should be doing, developing that philippines' northeast asian triangle as what Wench illustrated to us, with China, HK, and Taiwan as our "other" triangle economic growth partners. This is also good because we can't just rely too much from our american trade partner... Actually i think the philippines should also look more to invest at our middleastern asian friends... :banana:

WENCH???

Anyway, when I look at it, The Philippines doesn't need to be SEA's economic centre. First world or a highly developed country would be enough.

Adams3

February 4th, 2008, 12:30 PM

The Phillippines needs to foster stronger ties with China for investment and trade. It is already booming immensely but there is so much more room for growth, the sky is the limit. The investment climate has to be improved. Currently there's way too much regulation and red tape. A stable, simple and transparent business climate is the key in addition to sound fiscal and monetary policies and more efficient government spending which should be directed especially at infrastructure but also improved education. Manila should be the main hub for Chinese investments and trade in southeast Asia, what it has to do is to grab the opportunity. Sure, the Phillippines would be more dependant on China, but when the reward is a substantially higher growth rate and poverty alleviation, it is a good bargain. :)

AH-7Raja

February 5th, 2008, 03:00 AM

WENCH???

Anyway, when I look at it, The Philippines doesn't need to be SEA's economic centre. First world or a highly developed country would be enough.

bakit nga ba wench ako ng wench... sorry dude... first world? oh thats for sure is enough! :cheers:

The Phillippines needs to foster stronger ties with China for investment and trade. It is already booming immensely but there is so much more room for growth, the sky is the limit. The investment climate has to be improved. Currently there's way too much regulation and red tape. A stable, simple and transparent business climate is the key in addition to sound fiscal and monetary policies and more efficient government spending which should be directed especially at infrastructure but also improved education. Manila should be the main hub for Chinese investments and trade in southeast Asia, what it has to do is to grab the opportunity. Sure, the Phillippines would be more dependant on China, but when the reward is a substantially higher growth rate and poverty alleviation, it is a good bargain. :)

Not too dependent though, there are others like the south american and middle eastern nations. Because what if china falls, right? :)

indistad

February 5th, 2008, 12:44 PM

Here's the thread on TransJakarta:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=314069

kevinb

February 5th, 2008, 01:07 PM

how about Jakarta? Ang bilis nila.

http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t285/acen_keren/jakskyline.jpg

I agree. If all of their skyscrapers were placed in a single location, it will look denser than Makati, IMO. I also think they have more skyscrapers than Bangkok by looking at this photo.

AH-7Raja

February 5th, 2008, 04:57 PM

manila and jakarta looks similar eh

Here's the thread on TransJakarta:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=314069

hows everything in jakarta? do you still have some problems with squatters? tnx! :)

indistad

February 5th, 2008, 09:50 PM

I don't think the squatter problem will be solved anytime soon now.

Manila-X

February 6th, 2008, 05:03 AM

I agree. If all of their skyscrapers were placed in a single location, it will look denser than Makati, IMO. I also think they have more skyscrapers than Bangkok by looking at this photo.

Jakarta has an LA style where you have high-rise buildings surrounded by low-rise structures. And most of them are in a single location which is within central part of the city.

The skyline if more linear where you have skyscrapers built around Jalam Thamrin and nearby areas. Though some spread from left to right

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a41/hkwanch/googleearth/jakarta.jpg

Makati's skyline is more rounded up and has a Manhattan style density

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a41/hkwanch/googleearth/makaticbd.jpg

Both skylines are great but here's how I see it.

Jakarta

+alot of buildings being buiilt, well balance in terms of height, good combination of residential and offices, good architecture, well layed out

-lack of supertalls or anything over 700 ft.

Metro Manila

+dense, well clustered, well balanced in height, some buildings over 700 ft.

-too many residentials better balance it with some commercials, lack of iconic scraper or supertalls, needs more variety in architecture not just concrete.

Adams3

February 6th, 2008, 05:40 AM

Anyone knows the population figure for the metropolitan Manila area, counting the latest migrants to the city? Could it surpass 20 million people in a few years?

dattebayo

February 6th, 2008, 10:59 AM

Here's the thread on TransJakarta:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=314069

We need this kind of bus system in metro manila, especially in EDSA. The highway is getting too cramped because of the buses. This will also avoid colorum too. I thought jakarta will be having their MRT?

indistad

February 7th, 2008, 12:54 AM

Manila-X

February 7th, 2008, 05:53 AM

Jakarta is in preparatory stages of making a single line of MRT, which is pretty ridiculous. Its planned to be completed in 2014 and is being payed by the Japanese.

How much is 700 feet? We're building several buildings that are taller than 200 meters.

Wisma 46 is 262 m / 850 ft. Its arguebly the most iconic in Jakarta. The average skyscraper in Downtown LA is around 700 ft which I sometimes used. Shinjuku on the other hand have their average height between 600 to 700 ft.

I'm not in favour of BRT in Manila. And if they do, the government has to be really strict on enforcing its routes cause there are undisiplined drivers in Manila's streets and some of them would cross the lines.

Manila is better off expanding its railways and metros.

spearhead

February 10th, 2008, 02:35 AM

BRT is good, but building its dedicated lanes might add up in Metro Manila's problematic traffic. Not unless if they can control the number of buses and jeepneys operating in manila to lessen the traffic.

Anyway, why don't we just first upgrade our regular bus services across the region, similar to the BRT in terms of ticketing system, scheduled routes, and with all the BRT's bus features, but have no dedicated bus lanes?

chocolato1000

February 10th, 2008, 06:32 AM

^^ unless we expand our roads. which is obviously difficult? impossible?

garzland

February 10th, 2008, 02:31 PM

^^I guess, widening of roads is not impossible only if the government has the will to do it...Manila badly needs wide roads and avenues same with other cities in the country.

chocolato1000

February 10th, 2008, 03:07 PM

Manila-X

February 11th, 2008, 06:13 AM

i think we also need to improve our sidewalks. i saw wide and beautiful roads in the philippines, but the walkways suck really. i won't be surprised why people would even use part of the road as sidewalks, you just have to look at it and it'll speak for itself.

The only thing is some areas in Manila and parts of Rizal don't have space for pavements :eek:

But those in the CBDs have some nice walkable ones

spearhead

February 11th, 2008, 06:43 PM

^^ unless we expand our roads. which is obviously difficult? impossible?

Some laws should really be implemented against those businesses and residential establishments that build their houses right beside the national roads (that are opened for the public traffic/transit) without any sidewalk separations.

Its not impossible though to rebuild the road widenings in our street. But streets like the one we found along adriatico or padre faura in manila, they are unavoidable, its more like a permanent markings. Basically, buses can still operate along the 2 lane roads, but any BRT busways cannot be built there.

BTW, here are some cool photos for our BRT buses:

http://a406.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/88/l_79117c11eeed6beec3b5257797bbd19d.jpg
http://a331.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/82/l_7051de97b1ae0fd66a0c9050c913471a.jpg
http://a532.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/39/l_17e348da1bef0a91d972f27a5adff963.jpg
http://a42.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/38/l_c3bd82e34c27abc6056a6a2983fb8c11.jpg

This is just saying that BRT stations doesn't have to be elevated all the time, and so the buses doesn't have to be like the ones in transjakarta. Photos are from the canadian city of Vaughn's BRT system with no dedicated busways.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/41/75920020_80b2fe726c.jpg?v=0
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2037/2086805602_5f9674d291.jpg?v=0
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2117/2086019775_654bb18083.jpg?v=0

BRT Bus stations/terminals
http://transit.toronto.on.ca/images/gotransit-2303-01.jpg
http://transit.toronto.on.ca/images/gotransit-2303-02.jpg
Ticket vending machine
http://transit.toronto.on.ca/images/gotransit-2303-05.jpg
Bus stop
http://i.pbase.com/g4/00/116400/2/60282129.VivaBusStop_2.jpg

Nice eh? :cheers:

filcan

February 12th, 2008, 03:22 AM

^^Yup..i've seen those...the VIVA system really is a good model for how to build an efficient BRT system thats integrated into the city streets.

chocolato1000

February 12th, 2008, 08:28 AM

i like the second pic, it looks like an elongated beetle car!

http://pic60.picturetrail.com/VOL1698/10588304/18969014/303652641.jpg

kevinb

February 12th, 2008, 05:25 PM

Jakarta has an LA style where you have high-rise buildings surrounded by low-rise structures. And most of them are in a single location which is within central part of the city.

The skyline if more linear where you have skyscrapers built around Jalam Thamrin and nearby areas. Though some spread from left to right

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a41/hkwanch/googleearth/jakarta.jpg

Makati's skyline is more rounded up and has a Manhattan style density

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a41/hkwanch/googleearth/makaticbd.jpg

Both skylines are great but here's how I see it.

Jakarta

+alot of buildings being buiilt, well balance in terms of height, good combination of residential and offices, good architecture, well layed out

-lack of supertalls or anything over 700 ft.

Metro Manila

+dense, well clustered, well balanced in height, some buildings over 700 ft.

-too many residentials better balance it with some commercials, lack of iconic scraper or supertalls, needs more variety in architecture not just concrete.

^^ This could actually be the reason why the Jakarta CBD would look more massive compared to the Makati CBD when on aerial view. Jakarta's buildings are scattered, while it's otherwise with Makati's situation.

Regarding the type of buildings being built in and around Manila/Makati, I agree that most of them are residential and we lack commercial high-rises. Well, it's a good manifestation that a lot of residential companies are confident in Manila's/Makati's ability in providing good business for them. But I do think that commercial high-rises are indeed a better indicator of good business in a particular location.

brownman

February 12th, 2008, 05:52 PM

Those buses look wicked. Manila badly needs those types of buses and a BRT system. Our city streets are all clogged out.

kevinb

February 12th, 2008, 06:26 PM

^^ Yeah, the buses look good. But I think it will only look good in Makati, Ortigas and BGC. :D

Manila-X

February 13th, 2008, 05:23 AM

^^ This could actually be the reason why the Jakarta CBD would look more massive compared to the Makati CBD when on aerial view. Jakarta's buildings are scattered, while it's otherwise with Makati's situation.

Regarding the type of buildings being built in and around Manila/Makati, I agree that most of them are residential and we lack commercial high-rises. Well, it's a good manifestation that a lot of residential companies are confident in Manila's/Makati's ability in providing good business for them. But I do think that commercial high-rises are indeed a better indicator of good business in a particular location.

Its the same as KL, most KL high-rises sprouting up are condos. Even in HK or NY the majority of high-rises are residential and its the same trend in Miami, Panama City, Vancouver or any other major city. But still, the tallest and most iconic buildings in Metro Manila right now are still commercial/office. And there are lots of them especially in Makati and Ortigas. Note that some condos in the CBDs are used as office space.

High-rise condos are becoming the trend these days if not, mixed used scrapers kinda like The Burj Dubai

spearhead

February 13th, 2008, 03:19 PM

i like the second pic, it looks like an elongated beetle car!

http://pic60.picturetrail.com/VOL1698/10588304/18969014/303652641.jpg

Its futuristic too!

kevinb

February 13th, 2008, 07:31 PM

But still, the tallest and most iconic buildings in Metro Manila right now are still commercial/office. And there are lots of them especially in Makati and Ortigas.

I never realized that until now. Oo nga no? PBCom, GT Tower, LKG Tower and UnionBank are some of the country's tallest towers, which are commercial ones. But I'm waiting for the Lopez Tower and the Entertainment City's Observatory Tower (Whatever you call it! :D)

Manila-X

February 14th, 2008, 07:39 AM

I never realized that until now. Oo nga no? PBCom, GT Tower, LKG Tower and UnionBank are some of the country's tallest towers, which are commercial ones. But I'm waiting for the Lopez Tower and the Entertainment City's Observatory Tower (Whatever you call it! :D)

You're forgetting the Petron Megaplaza which is supposed to be the third tallest building.

kevinb

February 14th, 2008, 11:29 AM

^^ Oh yeah. Forgot that one. :)

frustratedarchitect

February 20th, 2008, 09:26 AM

I donrt know kung saang thread dapat to, but I saw this in the Kenya thread..Nakakaamze na wla ang Philippines sa list. Which is good. Although di ko alam kung saang source to galing.

Current list of LEAST DEVELOPED CONTRIES

Africa (34 Countries)

Angola
Benin
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Central African Republic
Chad
Comoros
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Djibouti
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Gambia
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Lesotho
Liberia
Madagascar
Malawi
Mali
Mauritania
Mozambique
Niger
Rwanda
Sao Tome and Principe
Senegal
Sierra Leone
Somalia
Sudan
Tanzania
Togo
Uganda
Zambia

Asia (10 Countries)

Afghanistan
Bangladesh
Bhutan
Cambodia
Lao People’s Democratic Republic
Maldives
Myanmar
Nepal
Timor-Leste
Yemen

Oceania (5 Countries)

Kiribati
Samoa
Solomon Islands
Tuvalu
Vanuatu

America (1 Country)
Haiti

le Reine

February 20th, 2008, 01:05 PM

^^My God, bakit mo naman isasama ang Philippines sa LEAST DEVELOPED country?!? Matagal na tayong wala sa level na yan. Low-middle income tayo or developing country. :lol:

chocolato1000

February 20th, 2008, 03:38 PM

The ASEAN Charter is a proposed constitution for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The charter was drafted by the ASEAN Eminent Persons Group. For the charter to take effect, it must ratified by the governments of every member states.

kiretoce

February 20th, 2008, 04:40 PM

ASEAN to become mini-United Nations (http://nationmultimedia.com/2008/02/20/regional/regional_30065975.php)

Singaporean Foreign Minister George Yeo Wednesday said ASEAN will become a mini-United Nations for Southeast Asia once all ten members ratify the ASEAN Charter, hopefully by the end of this year.

Speaking at a press conference marking the end of the two-day ASEAN retreat hosted by Singapore, the chair of the ASEAN Standing Committee, expressed hope that ten members will ratify the ASEAN Charter prior to the leaders' summit to be held in Bangkok by the end of this year.

He said each of the ten members will appointed an ambassador to lead their mission to Jakarta, the seat of ASEAN Secretariat currently headed by former Thai foreign minister, Surin Pitsuwan.

Each of these ambassadors to Jakarta will be the power to make decision on behalf of their respective government, Yeo said.

Yeo said Surin would be looking to hire two more deputies to assist him with the new workload. The Ten ASEAN leaders signed the charter last November at a summit in Singapore.

The aim is to make the regional grouping a more rules-based organization. Three more countries have ratified the charter, bringing the total number to four. The instrument of ratification from Burma and Laos was handed to Surin on Wednesday during a special ceremony on the sidelines of the retreat.

Singapore was the first country to ratify the charter, followed by Brunei who deposited its instrument of ratification on 15 February. One the charter is ratified, said Yeo.

"All the things we wanted to do we will be able to do," Yeo said. ASEAN will establish a term of references for a special committee tasked with looking into the idea of setting up ASEAN human rights body and a mechanism to settle dispute.

But the move towards a rule-based society will not be a smooth sailing as lawmakers in the Philippines said they will not ratify it unless Burma release pro-opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest and permit her to take part in a genuine national reconciliation and democratization process.

Burma said it would not permit Suu Kyi to stand for national election on the ground that a provision in 1974 does not permits candidates running for public office be married to foreign citizen. Suu Kyi's late British husband, Michael Aris passed away in 1999 when she was in house arrest.

Rangoon has said the new charter will lead to a general election in 2010 and replaced the 1988 version that was scrapped when the junta took power.

Yeo said the provision was somewhat "odd in this day and age" but added that it was essentially a decision for the Burmese to decide. He said a number of ASEAN ministers were concerned with the integrity of he process and that international concerns should be taken into account.

chocolato1000

February 20th, 2008, 04:47 PM

RP to push for ASEAN human rights body

February 19, 2008
Updated 17:03:26 (Mla time)
Oliver Teves
Associated Press

MANILA, Philippines -- The Philippines will push for creation of a Southeast Asian human rights body when the region's foreign ministers meet in Singapore this week, Manila's foreign secretary said Tuesday.

Leaders of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations adopted a landmark charter in November that pledged to set up a regional human rights body.

ASEAN foreign ministers will hold their annual retreat to "meaningfully discuss" how to pursue key provisions of the charter, including the creation of new bodies and structures, Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo said.

"Of particular interest to the Philippines are the creation of the ASEAN human rights body and the drafting of the blueprint of the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community," he said in a statement, giving no details.

"For the Philippines and for our partners in the region, the human person is at the core of development. The protection of human rights and the creation of an environment that allows development in its fullest form are, therefore, essential," Romulo said.

In a letter to ASEAN foreign ministers ahead of their meeting Tuesday and Wednesday, London-based human rights watchdog Amnesty International urged widespread consultations with "human rights defenders" in drafting the terms of reference of the human rights body.

It said a "transparent and consultative process will give the human rights body, and the ASEAN Charter more generally, enhanced credibility and effectiveness both regionally and internationally."

Last month, representatives of national human rights agencies from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand agreed that the proposed human rights body should consist of independent experts selected with the help of civic groups, and that it should protect, promote, monitor and set standards for human rights.

Critics have expressed fears the body may have too little power to curtail blatant violations because of ASEAN's policy of not interfering in the domestic affairs of its members.

Of the 10 ASEAN members, only Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand currently have independent national human rights bodies. ASEAN's other members are Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Singapore and Vietnam.

kevinb

February 20th, 2008, 08:28 PM

^^ Agree. Papasok na nga yata tayo sa Upper Middle-income generating countries eh.

Maxxclip

February 21st, 2008, 12:40 AM

^^:)yup...my estimate...probably by 2015 upper-middle na tayo..

Manila-X

February 21st, 2008, 04:51 AM

I don't even look at The Philippines as lower-middle. It's middle and is about to reach upper middle.

Lower middle countries would be Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, Kenya, El Salvador, Nigeria, etc. Compare them to The Philippines?

diz

February 21st, 2008, 07:31 AM

If the Parliament is approved, then it should be just ASEAN..... Maybe +3. That's it! I don't want it to become an ASIAN.

kiretoce

February 21st, 2008, 07:39 AM

^^ As an economic trading bloc, a united Asia (East, Southeast, South, Central, and West) is stronger competing against the EU, AU, and NAFTA.

diz

February 21st, 2008, 08:08 AM

Oil rich countries combined with the powerful economies of East Asia (nations east of iran). That's crazy.

kevinb

February 21st, 2008, 03:44 PM

^^ Why would it be crazy, in the first place? A trade bloc with rich countries is good. Help for smaller, developing countries will be more accessible since the countries that will be helping them is in one, integrated organization.

kevinb

February 21st, 2008, 03:46 PM

^^ That classification is actually from ADB. I read that from an ADB report three or four years ago. Probably at this very moment, upper-middle na tayo.

brownman

February 21st, 2008, 03:53 PM

^^ Which is a good thing. At least somehow we're inching our way up to be first world. But isn't it the pace of growth and development we have is a little slow compared to Vietnam just to name one.

kiretoce

February 21st, 2008, 03:55 PM

OT: What do you think should the Asian Common Currency be called? (If it does happen)

Been reading some articles online on this global phenomenon, of nations who are members of continental unions to strive towards a common currency.

EU: The Euro (already in existence)
AU: The Afro** (proposed)
NAFTA: The Amero (proposed)

**I think that's hilarious! :lol:

kevinb

February 21st, 2008, 03:55 PM

^^ I agree. But with the status that we have now, it could take a while before Vietnam overtake us.

kevinb

February 21st, 2008, 03:57 PM

^^ It's quite apparent that the Euro has had a significant impact in the global trade blocs, even with the name of their respective common currencies!

Look:

Euro

Afro

Amero

Wala lang. Just a lame observation. :D

brownman

February 21st, 2008, 03:59 PM

But then again, we could still do better than what we're actually gaining now. It's just too much politics that drags us behind everytime.

kiretoce

February 21st, 2008, 03:59 PM

It's quite apparent that the Euro has had a significant impact in the global trade blocs, even with the name of their respective common currencies!

Look:

Euro

Afro

Amero

Wala lang. Just a lame observation. :D

:lol: Took your corny pills today Kevin?

Depotmaster

February 21st, 2008, 04:11 PM

Afro? :lol::lol::lol::crazy:

kevinb

February 21st, 2008, 04:38 PM

@Kuya Kimber: I think I actually did! :lol:

kevinb

February 21st, 2008, 04:41 PM

^^ Somehow, you've got a point there. I hope our next president will be like, at least in alleviating our economic status, GMA, or better.

brownman

February 21st, 2008, 04:51 PM

Afro, heck that was funny.:lol:

OtAkAw

February 21st, 2008, 05:11 PM

^^And then let us also hope that the opposition group to that next president won't be as poisonous as the opposition force of today's time.

kevinb

February 21st, 2008, 05:13 PM

^^ What I'm hoping for the future's opposition is that they won't be opposing the administration's plans in making the country a prosperous nation.

icarusrising

February 22nd, 2008, 09:21 AM

Zero tariff set on 80% of
farm, industrial goods

By Jennifer A. Ng
Reporter
The Business Mirror

THE Philippines has reduced the tariffs on 80 percent of farm and industrial goods traded under the Common Effective Preferential Tariff (CEPT) Scheme of the Asean Free Trade Area (Afta).

President Arroyo recently issued Executive Order (EO) 703 reducing the tariffs on 80 percent of farm and industrial goods traded among countries belonging to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).

Malacañang noted that Asean economic ministers agreed during their meeting in September 2002 that the CEPT rates on at least 80 percent of the products on the individual inclusion lists of the six original Asean members, including the Philippines, would be reduced to zero by 2007.

The reduction of tariffs to zero was approved by the National Economic and Development Authority board during its meeting on December 18, 2007.

Tariffs for the rest of farm and industrial goods that are in the “sensitive” and “highly sensitive” are expected to be reduced in 2010.

Products on the sensitive list are allowed a longer time frame for implementing reduced tariffs ranging from zero percent to 5 percent.

Sugar and rice are among the commodities considered by the Philippines as highly sensitive products.

Sugar producers have earlier called on the government to negotiate for the retention of existing tariffs on sugar products, ranging from 28 percent to 38 percent, beyond 2010.

Under Afta, “obstacles” to freer trade among member-states, such as high tariffs or taxes on traded goods and the scrapping of quantitative restrictions and other nontariff barriers that limit the entry of imports, will be removed.

The ultimate objective of Afya is to increase Asean’s competitive edge as a production base geared for the world market.

http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/0222&232008/economy01.html

drayq2002

February 23rd, 2008, 03:44 PM

question....does ASEAN have its headquarters, similar to UN Headquarters in New York? if yes, where is it located? if none, in which city should it be placed?

kiretoce

February 23rd, 2008, 05:07 PM

^^ ASEAN Headquarters is located in Jakarta, Indonesia. But they do have an office/post in the UN for they are an "observer" in UN meetings and proceedings.

icarusrising

February 27th, 2008, 08:42 AM

4 countries have ratified Asean Charter

By Estrella Torres
Reporter
The Business Mirror

FOUR of the 10 member-countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) have ratified the Asean Charter that seeks to establish the regional bloc as a rules-based body with a human-rights council that handles rights atrocities and other forms of abuses against nationals of the member-countries.

Brunei, Malaysia and Laos have deposited their instruments of ratification, joining Singapore, the first to ratify the Asean charter in November last year.
Dr. Surin Pitsuwan, Asean secretary-general, expressed hopes that other Asean members like the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Cambodia and Burma/Myanmar would also ratify the Charter.

Surin handed over the acknowledgement for the deposit of instrument of ratification to Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Brunei Mohamed Bolkiah February 15.

Tan Sri Rastam Mohd. Isa, secretary general of the Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Dr. Thongloun Sosoulith, deputy prime minister and foreign minister of Laos, deposited the instrument of ratification with Dr. Surin in Singapore February 20.

George Yeo, minister for foreign affairs and chairman of the 41st Asean standing committee, led the simple ceremonies in Singapore.

“Singapore was the first to ratify and deposit its instrument of ratification. Its deposit of the instrument was done on January 7, 2008, at the Asean Secretariat in Jakarta, immediately after Dr. Surin officially assumed the post of the secretary-general of Asean,” said the Asean secretariat in a statement.

Surin said he was the “happiest man” in the ceremony as his job was dependent on the support of all Asean member-states for the Asean Charter.

He is hopeful that the momentum for the ratification of the Asean Charter will increase and the “other six Asean member-states will soon be able to ratify it.”

At the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos last month, President Arroyo had warned that the Philippine Senate will likely resist pressure to quickly ratify the Asean Charter if the regional body cannot compel member Myanmar/Burma to fulfill its promise to ease political repression by, among others, releasing prodemocracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace laureate.

The Asean Charter will enter into force on the 30th day after the date of deposit of the 10th instrument of ratification. Asean is a regional bloc of Southeast Asian economies pushing for economic, political, security and sociocultural cooperation with the international community.

The group is currently negotiating free trade agreements with East Asian economies like Japan, South Korea and China as well as the biggest regional bloc, the European Union.

Source: http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/02272008/headlines06.html

kiretoce

March 10th, 2008, 04:09 PM

Power of discipline (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/dav/2008/03/10/feat/power.of.discipline.html)

When I was still in high school, one of the most often-quoted lines was: "Sa ikauunlad ng bayan, disiplina ang kailangan." Literally, it means that what we need to make this country progressive is discipline.

If only, at that time, Filipinos followed that mantra, the Philippines would have been along with Singapore now in terms of progress. During a leadership conference, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew shared how he built his country from nothing to where it is today.

"A showcase of Asia without poverty, without the overcrowding, or space," observed one author.

To think of, barely a generation ago, Singapore was far worse than many of its peers. When Lee Kuan Yew first started to lead Singapore, he asked his think tanks to visit neighboring Asian countries like the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, and figure out what they don't have.

When his people returned, they gave him a unanimous observation: they lacked discipline. So to differentiate Singapore from its neighbors, he decided to build his country on discipline.

In a speech delivered during a graduation at the Silliman University in Dumaguete, Menardo G. Jimenez, explained to the new graduates what discipline is really all about: "This meant that if Singapore promised something to its people, to its foreign investors, and to other countries, it will be fulfilled. A disciplined country and a disciplined people - that's what he built Singapore on."

"No one achieves and sustains success without discipline," wrote 'New York Times' best selling author John C. Maxwell.

Bertrand Russell agrees, "Nothing of importance is ever achieved without discipline. I feel myself sometimes not wholly in sympathy with some modern educational theorists, because I think that they underestimate the part that discipline plays. But the discipline you have in your life should be one determined by your own desires and your own needs, not put upon you by society or authority."

You may be talented, wealthy and famous, but without discipline, you are nothing. As author H. Jackson Brown Jr. reiterated, "Talent without discipline is like an octopus on roller skates. There's plenty of movement, but you never know if it's going to be forward, backwards, or sideways."

George Washington, the first American president, noted: "Discipline is the soul of an army. It makes small numbers formidable, procures success to the weak, and esteem to all." David Campbell pointed out: "Discipline is remembering what you want." Four-time Oscar winner Katharine Hepburn observed, "Without discipline, there's no life at all."

An unknown author once penned: "Discipline, like the bridle in the hand of a good rider, should exercise its influence without appearing, to do so; should be ever active, both as a support and as a restraint, yet seem to lie easily in hand. It must always be ready to check or to pull up, as occasion may require; and only when the horse is a runaway should the action of the curb be perceptible."

Do you think Filipinos are disciplined people? Allow me give you an illustration. In 2000, I went to the United States for the first time. I was waiting for our plane at the airport in Manila. When it was time for boarding, I was surprised to see people forming a line when boarding of passengers started. No one rushed; only those whose seats were called joined the queue. I observed that most of the passengers were foreigners - Japanese, British, Australians, and Americans. There were only a few of us Filipinos.

It was a different story at all when I returned home. We were Detroit airport and there were so many passengers, mostly Filipinos and balikbayans. When it was time for boarding, all passengers rushed towards the two attendants who were collecting the tickets. "Sir, we are boarding only those from 51 to 65," the attendant explained. "And yours is 24C." The male passenger replied, "But I came here first. So, allow me to board first then!"

It was total chaos. The scene reminded me when I was boarding from Davao to Manila. But then, Detroit is not in the Philippines. We were still in the United States and these people were already behaving like Filipinos - rude and without discipline. As for non-Filipinos? They were at the back, just waiting for their numbers to be called.

"Man must be disciplined, for he is by nature raw and wild," commented German philosopher Immanuel Kant.

filcan

March 10th, 2008, 05:28 PM

^^that article says it like it is. My friends tell me that the reason they like going back to the Philippines for vacation is because it is so laid back there. Everyone just relaxes and does whatever they want. At the time I didn't really know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. There was a time when our country's economy ranked second only to Japan and that was only about one generation ago. Now were struggling to catch up to our ASEAN neighbours. Without discipline you go nowhere.

Danny Chua

March 11th, 2008, 04:54 AM

I agree completely with this:
An unknown author once penned: "Discipline, like the bridle in the hand of a good rider, should exercise its influence without appearing, to do so; should be ever active, both as a support and as a restraint, yet seem to lie easily in hand. It must always be ready to check or to pull up, as occasion may require; and only when the horse is a runaway should the action of the curb be perceptible."
Unfortunately it is easier said than done.

Weina

March 20th, 2008, 10:58 AM

Checking into Bumrungrad Hospital
The hospital in Bangkok is attracting a growing number of American patients seeking high-quality care for a fraction of the cost at home

by Bruce Einhorn

Bumrungrad, one of the top hospitals in Thailand, is trying to attract more patients from the U.S. and other countries.

Curtis Schroeder, the American who runs Bumrungrad Hospital, the top medical center in Bangkok, decided a few years ago to try marketing the hospital to insurance companies in the U.S. "We came up with the concept that Americans would want a health-care product that would take advantage of lower prices" in Thailand, he says.

The response was pretty underwhelming. "We couldn't get anyone to return our phone calls," he says. "We were looking at a lot of closed doors." And those executives who did speak to Schroeder and his team told them that selling Thailand as a medical destination to employers and employees in the U.S. was impossible. "They said Americans will never go overseas," Schroeder says.

More and more Americans are checking into his hospital, though. Last year, 65,000 Americans went to Bumrungrad for in-patient or outpatient treatment, up from just 10,000 in 2001. And of those 65,000, about half of them were U.S. residents who flew across the Pacific to Thailand for medical care. (The others were American expatriates living in Thailand or other parts of Southeast Asia.) Many of the patients from the U.S. were uninsured, taking advantage of medical costs in Bangkok that are just a fraction of those in American hospitals.

"A Symptom of the Problem"

The Thai hospital has been a beneficiary of the crisis in health care in the U.S., where some 47 million Americans are without health insurance and health-care inflation is becoming a bigger concern for companies. "We are not positioning ourselves to be the solution to America's health-care problems," says Schroeder. "To some degree, we are a symptom of the problem. We are a very glaring example that there is something wrong. Otherwise [the American patients] wouldn't be coming. They're not coming because they like Thai food; they're coming because they have no other choice."

Schroeder is expecting the numbers to keep growing: Last month, Bumrungrad announced an alliance with Blue Cross & Blue Shield of South Carolina, with the American insurer agreeing to cover expenses for members who travel from the U.S. to the Thai hospital (BusinessWeek.com, 3/13/08). Bumrungrad has recently arranged for executives from other insurers and their corporate clients to take what the hospital calls "familiarization trips" to visit the Bangkok facility.

Other hospitals, including some in Singapore and India, have also teamed up with the South Carolina insurer, which is betting that some members with high-deductible plans in the U.S. would be willing to travel abroad rather than having to pay thousands of dollars out of pocket for operations in American hospitals. "We are working with groups to consider a global health-care option that would provide more of a financial incentive for employees to travel abroad for care," explains David Boucher, assistant vice-president of health-care services at Blue Cross & Blue Shield of South Carolina.
A Boon to the Bottom Line

And more insurers will be getting in on the act, predicts Ruben Toral, the chief executive officer of Mednet Asia, a consulting firm that has advised Bumrungrad and other Asian hospitals. "Health care won't be too much different from manufacturing," says Toral. "It's going to start to move to lower-cost areas. In the next five to 10 years, we will look a flattening of the health-care world and will see insurers allow policyholders to select and choose medical options from a worldwide base of providers."

Medical tourism has helped Bumrungrad's bottom line. Revenue from foreign patients rose 14% last year, and non-Thais now account for 55% of Bumrungrad's business. In a Mar. 7 report, Phillip Securities analyst Rutsada Tweesaengsakulthai calls Bumrungrad "Thailand's leading private hospital" and predicts that revenue will grow 11.5% this year, to $618 million, with profits (after stripping out exception earnings from a sale in 2007 of a medical software subsidiary to Microsoft (MSFT) rising 12%, to $41 million.

The big problem, though, is that Bumrungrad is now too popular. It has a 70% occupancy rate for in-patients and outpatients, much lower than its bigger rival, Bangkok Dusit Medical Services. Bankgok Dusit doesn't get as many Americans but it attracts more international patients overall, with 649,000 checking in last year. Bumrungrad "is restricted by its tight capacity," wrote KGI Securities analyst Rakpong Chaisuparakul in a Feb. 20 report. That's one reason Bumrungrad's stock price has sagged, down about 15% for the year and trading near its 52-week low.

Bumrungrad has just started an expansion plan that should boost its capacity by 20% by 2012. Schroeder expects Americans to continue traveling to the hospital. "Medical inflation [in the U.S.] continues to outpace normal inflation and I don't see that reversing," he says.

Source: BusinessWeek

Nabartek

March 21st, 2008, 12:36 AM

amigo32

March 21st, 2008, 04:22 AM

sana tinulak mo na lang para makababa. j/k

Waldenstrom

March 21st, 2008, 04:26 AM

OtAkAw

March 21st, 2008, 08:59 AM

sana tinulak mo na lang para makababa. j/k

kung ako ihuhulog ko siguro. j/k

le Reine

March 21st, 2008, 01:18 PM

Masmalupet jan yung naranasan ko.

I was riding the jeep, there was this college girl who was familiar to me by face because she was from my high school. Nagpara siya ng tatlong beses sa may bungad ng intersection, hindi tumigil yung driver. I don't think hindi narinig nung driver, but itatabi niya lang para di makadagdag sa traffic. Parang shungaks yung abbae yung, sabi ko sa malumanay na bnoses, 'itatabi lang'.

Alam mo ba ang sabi sa akin "pakialam mo ba kasi"
Sabi ko "miss, intersection yan!"
sabi niya "bakit ikaw ba yung driver"
sabi ko, miss nakitang mong intersection yan. be a responsible citizen naman
sabi niya ng padabog "okay, fine"

Grabe siya, may nakasulat na nga dun na no loading/unloading, para pa ng para!which reminds me of this girl too sa QC naman. Gusto niyang pumara sa gitna ng kalye. :lol:

Nabartek

March 21st, 2008, 08:04 PM

mahit and run sana yung mga taong ito lalo na kung may sign boards na nakasulat. LOL:banana:

amigo32

March 22nd, 2008, 04:20 AM

mahit and run sana yung mga taong ito lalo na kung may sign boards na nakasulat. LOL:banana:

hoy sobra ka naman, ginagawa ko rin yun minsan, ang tumalon sa jeep. hahahaha

bariQ

March 22nd, 2008, 04:35 AM

di kase yan sila dinadakip ng pulis/mmda eh. dapat multahan na yan.

spearhead

March 23rd, 2008, 08:15 PM

I was lurking through Singapore threads a while ago & I'm really envious how their heritage structures blend perfectly well with modern skyscrpaers. I hope we could do that too in our country. It's not yet too late.

kapag matuloy sana yung plano ng PAGCOR's entertainment city at manila bay for 10 billion dollar investment, aangat talaga ang bansa natin, malaking revenue yan para sa turismo....

Nabartek

March 23rd, 2008, 10:44 PM

^^

SEA Macau na niyang ang Pilipinas. Sino kaya ang magigin Filipino Stanley Ho?

bitoy

March 24th, 2008, 07:35 PM

Sometimes I wonder what other nations can learn from us.

:lol:

kiretoce

March 24th, 2008, 08:43 PM

^^ The Papaya Dance is making waves overseas, if that counts. :rofl:

bitoy

March 24th, 2008, 10:10 PM

^^ Yeah, that new dance fad and the "minimized the greed" government procedure on contracts. :lol:

Weina

March 25th, 2008, 12:52 PM

Sometimes I wonder what other nations can learn from us.

:lol:

eto natututo daw sila mag tinikling:lol:

Mexican school kids learn RP's Tinikling dance
03/25/2008 | 06:07 PM
Email this | Email the Editor | Print | Digg this | Add to del.icio.us
MANILA, Philippines - Mexican kids may soon find themselves leaping and prancing to the agile Tinikling dance when the Philippine cultural pride is taught in a primary school there.

The Department of Foreign Affairs reported on Monday that Divina Trinidad Carolino-Gay-ya, trade assistant at the Philippine embassy in Mexico that a Mexican teacher in charge of the LDS Lomas Ward Primary at the Guadarrama Chapel, Mexico City requested earlier this month for Tinikling dance lessons for her students.

“Ms. [Catalina] Davis requested Ms. Carolino-Gay-ya to teach her class one of the famous Philippine folk dances, the ‘Tinikling,’ as part of their future activities," the DFA said in a statement.

Embassy officials delivered a briefing about the “pearl of the orient seas" last March 4 to the Primary, composed of schoolgirls aged 8 to 10, as part of the school’s project to “learn, understand, and appreciate the culture of other countries."

The Mexican schoolchildren were introduced to the Philippines through a video presentation of the “Wealth of Wonders (WOW)" and served some of the country's popular food like lumpiang shanghai, pansit and carioca (powdered glutinous rice formed into balls and dipped in melted sugar).

After the video presentation, the kids were surprised to receive a pair of pearl earrings as tokens.

“A grateful parent commented that the token made her daughter feel very special," the DFA said.

Philippine Ambassador to Mexico Antonio Lagdameo is optimistic that the exposure of foreign school children to Philippine culture would promote friendly relations between the two countries.

Tinikling is a famous Philippine cultural dance that usually involves four dancers: two holding the bamboo poles and another pair dancing. The dance imitates the movement of field birds called “tikling" as they are dodging the bamboo poles set by rice farmers. - Mark J. Ubalde, GMANews

dito sa amin sa taiwan natuto na rin sila mag gamit nang mga dirty tactics sa election, pinoy pa daw ang hired killer/assasin last time:ohno:

kiretoce

March 25th, 2008, 07:49 PM

Let’s resurrect our basic industries (http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2008/mar/26/yehey/opinion/20080326opi3.html)

One of the sad things that have happened to our country is the death of our basic industries. These were allowed to expire like the sunset.

It’s too late for us—some say—to begin making ourselves industrially self-sufficient. But it still puzzles me why we sold all our iron ore and other minerals to Japan and other countries but did not bother to build our own steel industry. We can’t even manufacture our own spoons, forks and knives.

Economies of scale are supposed to make it impossible for us to have become master-makers of tableware that don’t bend. So, what do we have now? The Filipinos (but not those who live in the gated villages) use spoons and forks that bend. Even the very rich Filipinos who go to the restaurants in Rockwell and Serendra have to use these cheap imported tableware. You only get to use dignified silverware if you eat at the prohibitive fine-dining restaurants of the Shangrila and the like, where you are given cloth napkins too.

In my mind one has to include the Marikina shoe industry and its brethren, the Ang Tibay, the Elpo, Marcelo and the Hale shoe factories that died because there was no rational government policy to encourage and support industrialization. There were also our many toy makers and textile product firms.

Protectionism, corruption

These could not survive because we had to import the raw materials and the processes of importing those and of giving them some kind of help to survive were attended by corruption. It was not perpetrated by the shoemakers and textile industry people themselves but by government-connected kleptocrats.

In opting to let these industries die, the government economic policymakers were guided by their horror of protectionism and graft and corruption that always come with it—at least in the Philippines and some other Third World countries. So we ended up being completely sold on the free market and global free trade.

Without seeing too deeply what kind of economy both Singapore and Hong Kong had, our economists pointed to the glories of these two places’ economic success. We became Asean’s most avid pushers of GATT, WTO and DOHA.

But now we find DOHA and the spirit of global free trade sputtering.

And we see that the most successful economies are not those which, like the Philippines, had governments that gave the gospel of free trade the fidelity that they could not give the Christian gospels.

Controlled economies

Singapore is not at all as liberal as its admirers want to advertise it. The Singapore government itself never hides its being in active control of the island’s economy. Hong Kong—said to be the capital of laissez-faire and true economic freedom under the British and even now under Beijing—has always had an economy that is directed by its government.

And the United States, which taught us to embrace free trade and economic liberalism and the spirit of anti-protectionism, is itself protectionist and becoming more so.

The world’s most dynamic economy today is China. Its Communist Party rulers have decided to turn its back on Marxism and Maoism and have adopted a controlled market economy.

India, the second remarkable world economy today, started out as a socialist country whose government helped its most important industries to flourish.

The admired and multi-award winning American business-and-economy writer, Robert J. Samuelson (Newsweek, Washinton Post, The Boston Globe, etc.) has acknowledged in a column that appeared two months ago that countries have become more nationalistic as they become more interdependent in the global economy.

New mercantilism

He finds, and is disturbed by, the “new mercantilism” that is seen or reflected in Valdimir Putin’s Russia, in China and its refusal to heed US and European appeals for it to revalue the renminbi (or the yuan), in the US-Peru trade agreement, in the actuations of Hugo Chávez especially his use of Venezuelan oil to further his political interests and build a bloc of countries in Latin America.

“They’re adopting policies intended to advance their own economic and political interests at other countries’ expense. As practiced until the mid- 19th century, mercantilism aimed to do just that,” Samuelson writes.

He continues: “It was an economic philosophy that favored large trade surpluses. At the time, this had some logic. Trade was an adjunct to military power. Exports earned gold and silver coin, which financed armies and navies. But mercantilism fell into disfavor as a way to promote national prosperity. Free trade, argued Adam Smith and David Ricardo, would benefit all countries, because each could specialize in what it did best—the doctrine of ‘comparative advantage.’ The post-World War II economic order took free trade as its ideal, even though trade barriers were lifted slowly. Now mercantilism is making a comeback, as governments try to manipulate markets to their advantage.”

Comparative advantage

Unfortunately for the Philippines and a lot of other similarly situated poor countries and former colonies, they have very little “comparative advantage” because they were not allowed to develop it by their colonizers.

I hate sounding like a columnist of the 60s. But it is looking today that China, India and Vietnam did the right thing but we did not.

lazybum

March 25th, 2008, 08:24 PM

TambayBlues

March 26th, 2008, 08:19 AM

Many economic experts and investors both foreign and local have noted that the Philippines lacks an industrial base in manufacturing. Specifically, We lack the manufacturing capability for the basic materials necessary to build consumer and industrial products both for domestic use and export. It is so sad to note that we are so rich in raw materials and yet we lack the infrastracture to process them into more value added products. Japan, S. Korea, Taiwan do not have as much raw materials as we do so what is the missing ingredient that enabled our neighbors to surpass us? Aside from the fact that our ex-dictator sank us deep into debt and robbed us blind, what is missing is an efficient power source due to the fact that most basic industries require lots of electricity to run foundries and machineries to process minerals. If there is any consolation to Mr. Marcos, his vision of putting up the 11 major industries back in the 70s would've accelerated our country's development and the mothballed Bataan nuclear power plant would've helped lower the cost of power in our country. What industries should we establish? Here's an ideal list;

1). Integrated Steel Mill
2). Aluminum Smelter
3). Zinc Smelter
4). Nickel Smelter
5). Copper Smelter
6). Chromite Smelter
7). Magnesium Smelter
8). Petrochemicals Plant
9). Carbon Black Plant
10). Silicon Wafer Fabrication Plant
11). Finished Rubber Processing Plant
12). Lead Smelter
13). Pulp and Paper Mill

As fate would have it Marcos' plans were derailed in large part because our country was destroyed from within by George Schultz and his economic hitmen as exposed by Lyndon Larouche of the Economic Intelligence Review. Read it and your eyes will be opened.

Schultz and the Hitmen Destroyed the Philippines
http://www.larouchepub.com/other/2004/site_packages/econ_hitmen/3150philipp_coup.html

It is common knowledge that within Asia our power rates are second only to Japan and our labor rates are no longer the cheapest so Is it any wonder then that our neighbors are getting more foreign direct investments than us. Just look at these statistics;

Number of Nuclear Power Plants

Japan - 18
S. Korea - 4
Taiwan - 3
China - 3

Putting up a new nuclear power plant would be too cost prohibitive nowadays for our country although it would still be a feasible solution considering its track record worldwide. But recent developments in China might be the better long term solution for our energy inefficiency. Here's the link;

Maglev Turbines 1000x more efficient than Windmills
http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/26/maglev-wind-turbines-1000x-more-effiencient-than-normal-windmill/

Nabartek

March 26th, 2008, 11:12 AM

I believe that we are weak in manufacturing. Not only do we have a few manufacturing that is Filipino-established, but also many of our manufacturers produce 'low quality' products. Yes, there are those who produce world-class but there are only a handful. And many of these products are for exports only.

Don't you find it ironic that countries that do not have many natural resources and fertile lands like us are very progressive? Singapore has almost none, Japan too, South Korea, Taiwan but these are countries with good economy.

TambayBlues

March 26th, 2008, 11:36 AM

I agree that it is a sad reality but at least our manufacturers are providing employment. All is not lost for our country. In fact 28 quarters of continuous growth under GMA somehow prevented our country from slipping into an economic crisis. All the negative effects of the bad policies and exploitation done to us by our colonizers and bad leaders cannot be remedied overnight. No matter how bad GMA is perceived to be no one can argue about our country's improving situation. In fact the poverty level now has greatly improved and unemployment has been reduced. We should support her inspite of the recent scandals. The American people supported Bill Clinton inspite of his sexual misconducts coz the economy was booming during his time.

kiretoce

March 31st, 2008, 12:49 AM

RP turning into First World (http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2008/mar/30/yehey/metro/20080330met1.html)

Insisting on the gains made in strengthening the economy, President Gloria Arroyo has expressed confidence that the Philippines is at a “tipping point” and will reach First World status within a generation.

In a report filed by the Philip*pine News Agency, Mrs. Arroyo said “I’m confident that the Philippines will tip forward in pursuit of reaching the status of first-world within a generation.”

The President said this in her speech during the Philippine Development Forum (PDF) held March 26 at the Fontana Convention Center at the Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga.

“It is my pleasure to join you in our constantly productive and insightful dialogue on Philip*pine development,” the Presi*dent enthused to the PDF participants, assuring them that the year “2008 holds real promise for a different reason—not only do we expect to sustain our growth, but as a result of our total economic overhaul, we are, I believe, well-positioned to weather a global economic slowdown which, unfortunately, will affect all of us.”

Citing 2007 as the “best year for the Philippine economy in over 30 years with a 7.3 percent economic growth,” the President told the country’s investors and creditors, including the World Bank, that “the maturity in our economy has brought with it a new confidence that forms the foundation of sustained economic growth moving forward.”

“We assure you there will be no rest. We are continuing the pace of progress that has succeeded in strengthening our economy,” Mrs. Arroyo said, adding, “we made a policy decision that—in any case since we were not expected to balance our budget last year—we should spend all that extra revenue on infrastructure and social services.”

“The national budget which I signed a few weeks ago provides a road map for realizing our priorities in 2008 and for the remainder of my term. It should provide you, our international donor and creditor community, with a sense of our priorities and our thinking about the future of our nation,” the President said as she pointed out that “overall, the bud*get provides a buffer to miti*gate the pain of a deteriorating global economy and the accom*panying rise in prices which affects food and transportation the most.”

“Political noise there is, but it need not interfere with economic progress and reform. This (2008) budget helps make that point. The people are tired of partisan wrang*ling, they want all of us to do our job—which is to work for the in*terest of the people, keeping the nation strong and stable, and always moving forward,” stressed Mrs. Arroyo.

“First, the budget reflects our values and policy priorities for investing in our people. This budget invests in what we call the three ‘Es.’ They’re the essential building blocks of a nation, namely: the economy, education and the environment. Every Filipino wants a good job, food on the table, sound education for their children and a healthy environment with clean air, clean water and clean land.

“Second, this budget represents another important step in the economic development of the Philippines, namely, fiscal disci*pline . . . Part of the plan includes a march towards a balanced budget for the first time in many years.

“Lastly, this budget proves once again that members of Congress from both the House and the Senate and all parties can come together to work with the Executive branch to get things done for the nation.”

diz

April 1st, 2008, 03:30 AM

yah sure.

bariQ

April 1st, 2008, 07:32 AM

bibilib na ako na NIC na tayo pag wala na akong nakikitang kalat sa daan

NOVO ECIJANO

April 1st, 2008, 05:33 PM

a part of interesting discussion from wikipedia...
http://[edit] Why do you want to include Philippines anyway ?

Why do you want to include Philippines anyway?

Some people already argue about this. I think they got a good point here, there's no reason to put it in the list. Sure the book did mention the country's name, but it also mentioned Indonesia, which a sane person will agree it shouldn't be on the list. This country has no economic significance or any outstanding multinational companies like in India and China, and it is undoubtedly have lower achievenment compared to its neighbour like Malaysia and Thailand. Instead of concentrating on production, the country economy depends quite a lot on remmitance, mostly millions of low-paid workers send their money back to their home country, which gives huge contribution to their GDP. There's much better candidates can fill the list like a couple of countries in south America. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Nomo1 (talk • contribs) 21:21, 3 October 2007 (UTC)

You are not the first user that comment based in that, in their opinion, a certain country should/should not be included. We are not here to "decide" what country is a NIC what country is not. We simply research the subject and if we find enough and strong evidence that a country is a NIC, we add it to the table. We just must not decide what is and what is not a NIC. AlexC. ( Talk? ) 21:32, 3 October 2007 (UTC)
The Philippines is economically significant. It is the world's top supplier of civilian maritime personnel.(crew/officers of ships) Without maritime personnel, the world shipping industry and global trade will suffer tremendously. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.175.176.50 (talk) 14:06, 7 December 2007 (UTC)

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Newly_industrialized_country"

dwyne

April 2nd, 2008, 07:12 AM

I believe all we need is Discipline.. Which was LOST... Democracy? No... People Power 1 2 and 3 or make it 4, It's getting worse, our country has become a country of Mobs, ambitious and adventurists... Forgive me and I do not mean any harm nor to start Flaming on this thread but I hope that our country should face and suffer a Civil War... because we are divided, socially, politically and ECONOMICALLY... for us to know and better understand what should be our role for our country and for the world... If we would be in a civil war, people will be united with their principles and they will have a Single CAUSE... With that Cause and belief that they Fight for they will win.. we will win... After all of the Scums and Enemies of the state eliminated, people will start to move on without the KONTRABIDA's to RALLY there, to PROTEST here and to achieve the Goals remembering the horrors of what happened and learning from it... I know many people will suffer and die from it but if there will be no more other ways to CHANGE, all we need is an Able Strategist to orchestrate such event...

Sounds Cruel? Morbid?

I stand to what I have said even if this would be the last resort a loyal man could do to his country and it's next generation...

-TC-

April 2nd, 2008, 04:25 PM

http://business.inquirer.net/money/topstories/view/20080402-127940/Philippines-no-longer-economic-laggard-of-SE-Asia----ADB

Philippines no longer economic laggard of SE Asia -- ADB

Agence France-Presse
04/02/2008

MANILA, Philippines -- The Philippines is no longer the laggard of Southeast Asia after posting high economic growth while keeping inflation under control, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said Wednesday.

The 7.3 percent economic growth posted in 2007 showed the Philippines "is no longer the laggard (of Asia.) It is approaching the average (of economic growth) of the region as a whole," said Thomas Crouch, deputy director-general of the ADB.

However, he said Manila must not fritter away the gains by resorting to handing out broad subsidies and price controls amid pressures brought about by soaring food and energy prices.

The growth in 2007 was the highest in 31 years and surpassed the average 6.5 percent growth for Southeast Asia in that year.

Additionally, the growth came even while the government was shrinking the budget deficit to about 1.0 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), Crouch noted.

But he warned that assistance to the poor should be carefully targetted to the most disadvantaged sectors and cautioned against resorting to subsidies which might increase the deficit with only minimal help to the poor.

The Philippines has largely lagged behind most of its Southeast Asian neighbors with growth rates usually well below the region's average.

The Manila-based multilateral institution is forecasting the Philippine economy to grow 6.0 percent in 2008 and by 6.2 percent in 2009.

"The challenging external environment in 2008 will temper growth" all over Asia, he said, citing rising food and oil prices and the economic slowdown in the United States.

But he commended the government's economic management team as "competent, capable and committed," as he forecast that inflation in the Philippines would only have a "slight uptick" in 2008 while other countries in the region would see larger jumps.

He credited much of the success to the government's fiscal consolidation in recent years, saying it had started a "virtuous cycle" which had brought down interest rates and kept inflation low, further encouraging investment.

Among the main challenges ahead is how to spend more to spur growth and pull more people out of poverty while still maintaining the fiscal discipline to attain a balanced budget this year, Crouch told reporters.

Crouch conceded that there was growing pressure for the government to spend more on infrastructure and social services in order to sustain growth in the face of the economic slowdown abroad.

However he said that there was also the issue of "credibility" among foreign lenders and investors, that the government maintain its commitments to balance its budget.

"Investment partners now regard this as a litmus test of credibility," he said.

He conceded that poverty was still widespread in this country despite the economic growth and said that "growth should be more sustained and inclusive" to reach wider groups.

World Bank economists on Tuesday, also cited the Philippines' economic performance, forecasting GDP growth of 5.9 and 6.1 percent for 2008 and 2009. But they warned that the country's window of opportunity to sustain such growth would not remain open for long.

kiretoce

April 2nd, 2008, 04:35 PM

^^ :righton: :banana: :cheer: :carrot: :cheers2: :cucumber: :tyty: :pepper: :applause:

Nabartek

April 2nd, 2008, 07:06 PM

In order for the Philippines to move forward, first and foremost, it has to have a viable agricultural base that can support and sustain the food supply requirements of the country's growing population. Very few countries in the world have advanced industrially without a strong and vibrant agricultural base. The Philippines have always relagated agriculture at the back end of its economic priorities. It is high time to reverse this condition. Look at the U.S., the State of California by itself, can literally provide the food the entire world will need.

For real?

Manila-X

April 3rd, 2008, 07:49 AM

diz

April 3rd, 2008, 08:40 AM

maraming salamat president arroyo! more power to you!

youdamiren

April 4th, 2008, 03:09 AM

maraming salamat president arroyo! more power to you!

I second the motion!

wheel of steel

April 4th, 2008, 04:01 AM

:banana::banana::banana::banana::banana::banana::banana::banana::banana::banana::banana::banana::banana::banana::banana::banana::banana::banana::banana::banana::banana::banana::banana:

barukdok

April 5th, 2008, 04:47 AM

but how long will it last?

odyssey

April 5th, 2008, 02:27 PM

flymordecai

April 5th, 2008, 05:50 PM

We are on the right direction to become a newly industrialized country.

We have just manufactured laptop and released our very own NEO laptop. We should start manufacturing environmentally-friendly and light-weighted electronic products such as digital camera, cell phones, gps, computers, LCD TV, and hybrid cars. We have a very efficient jeepney industry, why can't those manufacturers such as SARAO make a hybrid and enviromentally friendly car - Imagine the brand Sarao Sedan - di ba bagay.

Sarao Sedan and Sarao SUV - gawin nyo na....

The NEO laptop is just a rebadged Intel Netbook. As far as I know, it wasn't developed and designed in the Philippines. Link (http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/classmate-pc-hits-store-shelves-in-philippines-as-neo-explore-x1/)

Agreed that the Philippines need its homemade electronics and vehicles. But if we ever see it, it won't be for a long time.

garzland

April 7th, 2008, 10:38 AM

ASEAN vows to be ‘vigilant’ in fighting inflationary pressures (http://www.mb.com.ph/BSNS20080407121217.html)

DANANG, Vietnam, April 6 (AFP) — ASEAN finance ministers pledged Friday to be vigilant in the fight against inflation, as soaring food and fuel prices hit households across the region and threaten to spark public unrest.

Ministers from the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations met in the Vietnamese city of Danang, looking for ways to cope with the price hikes as well as a global economic downturn.

The meeting came just days after the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank both cut the region’s growth forecast for 2008 — in part over the surging inflation that has hit two essentials, rice and oil, especially hard.

In a statement to close the annual meeting, they said they had discussed the turbulence on world markets and the potential for a much longer and sharper slowdown than expected.

"We remain vigilant against these risks and resolved to maintain sound fiscal and monetary policies, while continuing to implement policies that will sustain domestic demand as an important anchor of growth," they said.

Many experts believe the region will be able to weather the turmoil better than in times past, in particular during the 1997-1998 Asian financial crisis.

World bank managing director Juan Jose Daboub told AFP there was cause for "cautious optimism" in the region despite the possibility that slowing demand in the United States will undercut a major export market for the region.

"East Asia’s strong, long run of growth has not been driven by year-to-year fluctuations in world demand, but rather by improvement in productivity, innovation, quality control, education and skills," he said.

"These underlying strengths of East Asian economies will neither be undone by the financial turmoil nor by a slowing global market."

But he stressed that nations still had a tricky task ahead, not least because of the mounting food prices that are having a strong impact on the region’s many impoverished.

The benchmark rice variety in Thailand, the world’s number one rice exporter, has gone up 52 percent in the last month alone, according to the country’s association of rice exporters.

"In virtually every East Asian country, high food prices are raising headline inflation and contributing to a significant decline in the real incomes of the poor," he said.

In part because of those soaring costs, this week the Asian Development Bank and World Bank both reduced their growth forecasts for the region, excluding Japan.

The World Bank said there could be an aggregate income loss of one percent of gross domestic product due to price increases.

"Dealing with high food and fuel prices probably constitutes a greater challenge to governments in East Asia than the financial turmoil in the United States and a slowing global economy," it said.

ASEAN’s members are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

NOVO ECIJANO

April 27th, 2008, 11:38 PM

http://http://www.gmanews.tv/story/90292/Pinoy-firm-develops-notebook-with-Intels-processor
Pinoy firm develops notebook with Intel’s processor
04/19/2008 | 03:07 AM

CEBU CITY, Philippines - It may sound trite but in this age of technology, Filipinos can now do what other people in more developed economies can, including manufacturing notebooks that are equally advanced as those of more popular global brands.

Filipino company Neo Manufacturing and Services Inc. launched in Cebu City yesterday its new products, which are targeted at different market segments.

“Our vision is to develop notebooks for every Filipino," said Ernel Esplanada, Neo area sales manager for the provinces. “We come up with notebooks that are priced according to the financial capabilities of Filipinos."

In a forum with members of the academe yesterday, Neo launched the Explore X1, a netbook (Internet-centric notebook) that is designed for children. Explore has a 512 memory, 30 gigabit hard disk drive, Intel 900 megahertz mobile processor and Wi-Fi (wireless fidelity), among others.

It can drop from a height of one meter without being destroyed and is spill-proof. At a suggested retail price of P16,999, it is Neo’s cheapest product yet.

In a press conference, Esplanada presented the latest of Neo’s Empriva series whose prices range from P36,000 to P51,000, depending on features and capabilities.

He also presented the Neo Basic, Tablet series and Elan, the first notebook to be powered by Intel’s 45 nanometer processor.

Wowie Wong of Intel Philippines assured that despite the capabilities of the 45 nanometer processor and the number of transistors it carries, it consumes less power than previous types.

A 45-nanometer processor holds 820 million transistors, which is the basic element of computing.

Wong said the Neo Elan is the first time for Intel to extend its latest architecture in entry level notebooks.

All of Neo’s latest notebooks have Microsoft Windows Vista (Home Premium) operating system. Explore uses Windows XP, Starter Edition.

Esplanada said Filipinos should be proud of Neo notebooks as it is assembled by Filipinos based in the Philippines.

While Neo is not as known as most global brands, he said that the components of its notebooks are made in China like all the other more known brands.

Elvi Suficiencia, executive vice president of MDR Microware Sales Inc., said Neo buys notebook components from one of the top five global makers.

“Neo is as good as the more known global brands. (Besides) any (notebook or computer) brand, which carries the names of Intel and Microsoft, is good," he said, adding that the two other companies (Intel and Microsoft) would not partner with a brand that is not reliable.

“Neo’s penetration in the Visayas and Mindanao, at entry level (meaning more affordable), is very good," he said.

He also said that since Neo’s notebooks are affordable, the company can be credited for bringing down the prices of global brands.

Considering the sales growth rates of desktop computers and notebooks, Suficiencia said the percentage of penetration of the two computer types will reach the same level by the end of this year.

In an interview, Esplanada told Sun.Star Cebu that Neo will open its own showroom and service center at the SM Northwaing.

He said Neo’s contractor will start building the interiors of the showroom as soon as SM has completed the development of the space allotted for the notebook manufacturer.

“We will display our various products there for people who want to have a feel of our notebooks. But we won’t sell anything there so as not to compete with our dealers," he said. - Sun.Star Cebu

barrera_marquez

April 28th, 2008, 01:11 AM

Barko at kotse nage-export na tayo. Nice parang Japan!

Pero I want the agricultural sector to remain along with the industrial sector para hindi na tayo magi-import ng mga raw materials na gagamitin sa production. Sa tingin ko kumpleto na tayo sa lupa kasi may Bataan Export Processing Zone, Clark, Subic, Tarlac, etc. na tayo. May matitira pang sandamukal na ektarya ng lupa para sa agricultural production.

nayki

April 28th, 2008, 06:12 AM

bacolodchamp

April 28th, 2008, 06:41 AM

barrera_marquez

April 28th, 2008, 10:59 AM

Marunong pala ang Pilipino kailangan lang talaga natin na magkaroon ng maayos na management at hindi ng kung anu-anong putakan at bangayan.

JustHorace

April 28th, 2008, 06:31 PM

About this kind of stuff, most foreign entities do not include the Philippines in any stupid lineup of theirs. Like CNN, nako halos wala mang coverage sa Pilipinas.

The Philippines get more attention on Al Jazeera than all those other anglo news channels combined. Perhaps they're the only ones who give importance to our country's growing role globally, in economic and political terms. CNN and BBC downplay the emergence of the Eastern powers. It's obvious that they still want to portray the West as the most powerful political entity in this planet. As if that'll remain as that forever!

odyssey

April 28th, 2008, 07:07 PM

Dapat gumawa ang mga Pilipino ng sariling brands ng auto at electronic products na hindi lang high quality, dapat ergonomically and evironmental-friendly rin ang design. Pati ang marketing at customer service dapat professional at de-kalidad rin.

Tingnan nyo yung S-Korea, yumaman lang sila ng gumawa sila ng sarili nilang brands ng kotse at mga electronic products.

It's not too late para sa Pilipinas kasi yung designs ng mga produkto constantly evolve and change. Puede pa rin humabol yung Pilipinas - bakit yung SK, late na rin sila nagsimula pero ngayong nakiki-kumpetensya na sa Hapon at US.

Dapat simulan na yung pinoy-branded na kotse gaya ng Sarao Sedan at Sarao SUV. Pati na rin computer, digital camera & video, LCD TV (plasma screen doesn't have a good feedback). Yung Kelvinator na Refrigerator di ba Concepcion industry yung gumawa non.

Kailanga lang mag FOCUS sa QUALITY sa lahat ng aspeto. Dapat din maging professional, global, at updated yung design. And always look for the next big th

crappypants

April 28th, 2008, 08:51 PM

bacolodchamp

April 29th, 2008, 01:41 AM

kailangan den ipatronize nang pinoy ang gawang pinoy. kahit bagong brand at hindi mas kilala bigyan ng chance. it's the only way to break the cycle. mahina ang pinoy tumangkilik sa sariling gawa. ang ibang asians ganyan sila kaya lumalakas domestic economy nila.

that is correct. and i'm doing it right now. whenever i'm in the supermarket i look at the label first. i make sure its made in RP even if its a multinational company. i prefer buying products made by multinational companies who have manufacturing plants in the philippines than products made in other countries. but whenever possible i buy products made by homegrown companies.

barrera_marquez

April 29th, 2008, 01:51 AM

Nestle alam ko meron plantasyon ng kape rito kaya good news ito para sa mahilig sa Nescafe.

RonnieR

April 29th, 2008, 09:29 AM

that is correct. and i'm doing it right now. whenever i'm in the supermarket i look at the label first. i make sure its made in RP even if its a multinational company. i prefer buying products made by multinational companies who have manufacturing plants in the philippines than products made in other countries. but whenever possible i buy products made by homegrown companies.

Agree....most pinoys think that imported goods, even those candies that are made in China, are better than ours. It's a crazy mentality or just the lack of education?. I also do my share of buying pinoy goods or philippine made goods of foreign origin, thus preserving the pinoy workers. Unless, I have no choice, then buy the imported ones. Look at the South Koreans, Japanese, Thais, Indonesians, they just love buying their own goods.

barrera_marquez

April 29th, 2008, 10:34 AM

Naalala ko tuloy yung formalin sa candies na galing China yung White Rabbit.

jpdm

May 1st, 2008, 02:25 AM

bacolodchamp

May 1st, 2008, 02:51 AM

definite agree with this. :cheers1:having world-class Pinoy industrial products such as vehicles and electronic products (kayang-kaya naman e!) will definitely earn us more respect and be truly called a newly industrialized country:cheers:

in korea, you don't see much of foreign made cars roaming around, all you see are hyundai, kia, etc. if we only follow what the japanese and the koreans are doing, maybe we'll not be far from being the next industrialized country in the world.

iloilocitykid

May 1st, 2008, 02:57 AM

Colonel Burger

May 1st, 2008, 07:16 AM

^^ The thing is, we don't have our own cars, unless of course everyone rides jeepneys..hehe

We haven't even made our own engine that's purely Filipino...

I know if there'll be a car that's okay looking and at least efficient (esp on fuel), many Pinoys would buy that..

Buy a Ford Escape, Ford Focus, Mazda 3 and a Mazda Tribute.

They are made in the Philippines by Filipinos and we export them to Southeast Asia. The Marquee may not be Filipino but they are proudly pinoy made. =)

jpdm

May 1st, 2008, 11:35 AM

^^ The thing is, we don't have our own cars, unless of course everyone rides jeepneys..hehe

We haven't even made our own engine that's purely Filipino...

I know if there'll be a car that's okay looking and at least efficient (esp on fuel), many Pinoys would buy that..

...dont be fixated with cars...any vehicle that will highlight pinoy craftmanship will do...jeepney yup but...we must strive for a more refine one.....

about the engine, we almost made one...but it is easy for us Pinoys to do it...its just economics that prevents us...

...eventually in the near future..immediate future...:)

iloilocitykid

May 1st, 2008, 01:39 PM

Buy a Ford Escape, Ford Focus, Mazda 3 and a Mazda Tribute.

They are made in the Philippines by Filipinos and we export them to Southeast Asia. The Marquee may not be Filipino but they are proudly pinoy made. =)

Aray naku po! No offense..those brands are really not fuel efficient..
I hope a Pinoy will make those brand of cars more fuel efficient..:)

...dont be fixated with cars...any vehicle that will highlight pinoy craftmanship will do...jeepney yup but...we must strive for a more refine one.....

about the engine, we almost made one...but it is easy for us Pinoys to do it...its just economics that prevents us...

...eventually in the near future..immediate future...:)

Yep. I have faith we will..;)

kiretoce

May 1st, 2008, 02:40 PM

iloilocitykid

May 2nd, 2008, 01:45 AM

^^ Agree..

jpdm

May 2nd, 2008, 02:00 AM

^^ Agree..

Kahit yung bago tulad ng Focus?At kahit gawa sa Pinas?Ang Mazda kasi 30% owned by Ford. And they share some auto parts such as engines etc....

FerrariLover

May 2nd, 2008, 02:23 AM

crappypants

May 2nd, 2008, 02:35 AM

geez you would think China or India would be the biggest importer of rice.
it seems we import everything, from plates to electic fans.
are there really people in charge of our country or are they just pretending?..

great184

May 2nd, 2008, 02:57 AM

From ABS-CBN News: May 2, 2008
Deutsche Bank: RP may have triggered spike in world rice prices

An international bank said the Philippines may have triggered the spike in the world prices of rice.

Deutsche Bank said economic experts had suspicions the spike in world prices might have been partly fueled by the Philippine government's aggressive and pre-announced buying during a time when key rice suppliers Thailand and Vietnam were curbing exports.

Since the Philippines was the world's biggest importer of rice its announcement had the effect of swinging market forces.

Deutsche Bank experts reassured the public though that while there is currently a supply and demand imbalance, the rice crisis would eventually pass. ANC

---- Reminds me of OPEC...hehehe....:banana:

RP as a major player? But in that article its in a negative sense, so we shouldn't be proud of just any impact we create on the global stage. And we should be ashamed of being the largest rice importer because we are home to the International Rice Institute, and we trained Vietnam and other countries how how to get better yields, more efficient rice breeds, etc.

Let's be a global player in a positive note.

jpdm

May 2nd, 2008, 03:07 AM

^^ agree with this

Being a rice importer is an ultimate embarassment to an agricultural country with a UPLB, PhilRice and IRRI right in our territory. Ngiting aso ang Thailand our "good neighbor" na dating tinuruan nating magtanim ng palay.

read the papers today, Thailand will not sell rice to us. Kapal muks pa nung Economists ng U&AP na si bernardo Villegas when he was taunting nationalists about the need to be self-sufficient in rice. Isa sya sa promotor ng rice importation siguro.Sabihin kaya nya yan sa mga napila sa NFA rice at mga magsasaka ng Sumilao at ng buong bansa.....tingnan ko galing nya.

Dapat ipasara na agri dept ng UPLB, Philrice at IRRI kasi kaya lang nitong maturuan foreigner. pero kapwa pinoy hindi. :bash:

Dapat isesante na lahat ang empleyado sa DA, NFA at NIA kasi puro inutil sila.:bash:

Juan Pilgrim

May 2nd, 2008, 03:23 AM

:horse:geez you would think China or India would be the biggest importer of rice.
it seems we import everything, from plates to electic fans.
are there really people in charge of our country or are they just pretending?..

that is exactly what I thought, too: China and India with their combined population of more than 2.5 billion rice eaters must be the top 2 rice importer countries on this planet...

...and not the Republic of the Philippines with only 88 million or so rice eaters. (I don't think we can out eat the Indians/Chinese.):ohno:

But China and India (Thailand and Vietnam etc.) knew their priorities. With the guidance of their governments, they have been producing more than enough rice for their people that they can export whatever is in excess around the world.

But the government of the Republic of the Philippines thinks it is not important to grow our own rice when we can buy it from other countries at a cheaper price. (we can not blame them for that, can we?)

Things are going to change now for sure. With soaring prices and high demand for rice, planting rice will surely be fun (with or without La Nina or El Nino) and profitable.

It is alright to industrialize just don't neglect the other sectors of our economy--- like agriculture.

:horse:

crappypants

May 2nd, 2008, 03:56 AM

planting rice is always fun pa naman. :ohno:

jpdm

May 2nd, 2008, 04:08 AM

--It should go together industrialization and agricultural development. Just like the Taiwan model.

-Simple lang naman e. Mechanize rice production. Use more machines, ang dami. Yung sa Nueva Ecija, may nag-produce ng farm machine dun.Farmer-turned machine fabricator.

-More farm inputs using modern technology. Wag lang GMO.

-post harvest facilities imbes na ubusin ni politiko para papogi nya.

-limit importation. Puede naman e. Ang problema may COMMMISSION KASI E. MAY TONGPATS.

So industrialize and modernize agriculture to limit the outflow of foreign exchange from the country and more jobs and income for more Pinoys.

Pag puro import. importer na kumikita.

crappypants

May 2nd, 2008, 04:21 AM

Pag puro import. importer na kumikita.

and don't forget the smugglers

nayki

May 2nd, 2008, 04:33 AM

Di naman kasi ganon kalakihan ang lupain natin dito sa Pinas tapos malaking porsyento pa ng bukirin natin napupunta sa pataniman ng pinya, tabako, sibuyas, manga, niyog, mais, at kung ano ano pang high value crops. Dapat kasi bigas muna ang iprioritize na itanim ung sobrang lupa un ang ilagay sa high value crops. Halimbawa na lang iyong sibuyas sobrang laki ng matitipid natin kung iimport na lang natin un di naman siya sing importante ng bigas eh.

jpdm

May 2nd, 2008, 04:38 AM

^^
oo nga pala.

Kaya mahina sa toto lang negosyo sa Pinas sobrang dami ng walang trbaho.

Yung ad ni Gloria na economiya, kalokohan yun. asan ekonomiya natin? mula toothpick hanggang kotse imported.

Sino kumikita. Mga tongpats at commission-ners sa Customs.

Yung smuggler at importer na halos sila na lang kumikita di pa nagbabayad ng tamang tax yan. kasi they engage outright in smuggling or engaged in technical smuggling.....

-kaya yung ad ng gobyerno na Ekonomiya..dapat may dagdag...

EKONOMIYA...WASAK NA..PAKTAY NA TAO SA MAHAL NG BILIHIN AT KAWALAN NG MATINONG TRABAHO.....:bash:

RonnieR

May 2nd, 2008, 04:40 AM

and don't forget the smugglers

Agree, but I'm still looking forward to see even once in my lifetime, a smuggler who is put into death chamber! Who knows the next President is pro- death penalty..... di nakikinig sa CBCP

iloilocitykid

May 2nd, 2008, 05:31 AM

Kahit yung bago tulad ng Focus?At kahit gawa sa Pinas?Ang Mazda kasi 30% owned by Ford. And they share some auto parts such as engines etc....

Yes. IMO, Toyota, Sukuzi and Honda cars are quite more fuel efficient than Ford, GM or even Chrysler. Again, it's just my own observation. I don't want to dissuade anyone from buying these brands. :)

From ABS-CBN News: May 2, 2008
Deutsche Bank: RP may have triggered spike in world rice prices

An international bank said the Philippines may have triggered the spike in the world prices of rice.

Deutsche Bank said economic experts had suspicions the spike in world prices might have been partly fueled by the Philippine government's aggressive and pre-announced buying during a time when key rice suppliers Thailand and Vietnam were curbing exports.

Since the Philippines was the world's biggest importer of rice its announcement had the effect of swinging market forces.

Deutsche Bank experts reassured the public though that while there is currently a supply and demand imbalance, the rice crisis would eventually pass. ANC

---- Reminds me of OPEC...hehehe....:banana:

Actually, If I remember well, it was the president who got ecstatic about the rice conditions that caused panic among the masses. Maybe it was through over exposure in the media and overhyping the situation that this happened.

nahtoodrunk

May 4th, 2008, 09:01 AM

The President is a female, that answers half your question;)

i guess not anymore and never have been, because filipinos are born magalang, especially to the females...we value their expression and respect their ideologies...

and philippines too has been the leading country in southeast asia on empowering women according to the UN

dattebayo

May 4th, 2008, 09:06 AM

Mazdas are okay. But Ford? Hell, no!

Fix
Or
Repair
Daily

It's the most unreliable car I've driven! :ohno:

include Chevy

kevinb

May 4th, 2008, 12:10 PM

From ABS-CBN News: May 2, 2008
Deutsche Bank: RP may have triggered spike in world rice prices

An international bank said the Philippines may have triggered the spike in the world prices of rice.

Deutsche Bank said economic experts had suspicions the spike in world prices might have been partly fueled by the Philippine government's aggressive and pre-announced buying during a time when key rice suppliers Thailand and Vietnam were curbing exports.

Since the Philippines was the world's biggest importer of rice its announcement had the effect of swinging market forces.

Deutsche Bank experts reassured the public though that while there is currently a supply and demand imbalance, the rice crisis would eventually pass. ANC

---- Reminds me of OPEC...hehehe....:banana:

*sigh* I find it very ironic for IRRI to have been living on our lands if this is what the headlines read. The International Rice Research Institute, good lord. :ohno:

iloilocitykid

May 4th, 2008, 03:15 PM

It's been reported that within three years, the country will be self-sufficient in rice...yeah right, not with the current state of governance..

jpdm

May 4th, 2008, 03:42 PM

It's been reported that within three years, the country will be self-sufficient in rice...yeah right, not with the current state of governance..

Indeed. The government should be serious enough in bulding are capacity not only in food self-sufficiency but also in manufacturing.....

So that we can truly called a newly-industrialized country......

nahtoodrunk

May 5th, 2008, 07:07 AM

it's a different case sa china and india, marami nga silang tao pero ang laki-laki naman ng teritoryo nila for expanding agriculture, and i guess hindi ganoon ka rice-dependent ang mga intsik because they got noodles, sa movies na nakikita ko, 1 cup of rice lang usually ang kinakain nila, eh tayong mga pinoy, halos ubos isang plato puno ng rice..

federalist

May 5th, 2008, 08:33 AM

barrera_marquez

May 5th, 2008, 09:27 AM

Because Vietnam and Thailand also restricted their exports, at dahil na rin sa drought noong isang taon e nagkamanas-manas ang mga rice producing provinces sa anihan, medyo na-delay ang ani kasi.

Nakikita ko iyan kasi taga-Nueva Ecija ako, nakikita ko ang mga magsasaka ngayon na hirap na hirap umani ng palay. But to think Nueva Ecija has 5 cities, nakakapagtaka talaga na kung bakit ang hirap pa rin ng mga kalagayan nila. Malamang nauso na sa Nueva Ecija ang 5-6? Doesn't the government have a bank to help this farmers so that they will not rely anymore on 5-6, aba'y sako ang pinambabayad nila, mga 20 sako na may halagang P18,000!!!

federalist

May 5th, 2008, 09:32 AM

patawad kaibigan. hindi kasi namin ma feel dito sa Cebu ang rice shortage ngayon.
kaya pala dahil nahihirapan pala ang Vietnam and Thailand.

barrera_marquez

May 5th, 2008, 02:56 PM

it's okay, lahat naman tayo nahihirapan sa nagaganap na krisis sa bigas...

le Reine

May 5th, 2008, 03:03 PM

i dont believe that theres a rice shortage. the administration are just fooling the people, they made this issue for them to repay to the businessmen who funded their election campaigns.

Philippines are constant importer of rice from Vietnam and Thailand way back then.
so, bakit ngayon lang na declare na may rice shortage?And where did you get that news? If there's anyone who would declare a rice shortage, the government will be the last. I believe the government says price "crisis" rather than rice shortage. :lol:

kevinb

May 6th, 2008, 07:05 AM

It's been reported that within three years, the country will be self-sufficient in rice...yeah right, not with the current state of governance..

I agree. If there's really an ongoing rice shortage, rice sufficiency is almost next to impossible within the next three years or, if not, within the near future, say a little bit more than five years. Not unless the government acts fast on heavily improving our agricultural sector. But then again the government is focusing more on other industries, such as services, manufacturing and, especially, tourism. Just compare what the government is doing with these sectors compared to the agricultural one. Milya-milya 'yung layo. I guess it will take a longer time when a new country will topple down the Philippines as the world's top importer of rice.

Goku_25

May 6th, 2008, 07:13 AM

I am hoping for the Philippines na tayo'y magiging first world country next decade. Sana, huwag na tayung bumalik sa panahon ni Marcos!! Kaya wag nating botohin ang mga kandidato na potensyal silang maging kagaya ni Marcos, Tulad ni Panfilo Lacson.

kevinb

May 6th, 2008, 07:20 AM

^^ Having the first world status after the next decade could be a bit farfetched, especially with the slowdown of the economic growth this year. Last year, mataas siya, but considering GMA's plan to convert the Philippines into first world status after 2020, it still is slow, sluggish even. I've read in one of the country's major broadsheets that if GMA really wants the Philippines to achieve first world state by 2020, the country should constantly be at par with China's annual growth. But I'm not saying that I'm not happy with what we've achieved last year, I am actually. It just proves that even if the President isn't liked by much of the Filipino people, she does her job well, which is much, much more important than beign loved by all without achieving anything.

jpdm

May 6th, 2008, 07:48 AM

^^
Unless the government will fully support the agriculture, industrial sectors of our economy we can never become a First World nation!

Plus the government should fully implement agrarian reform and poverty eradication to put our economy in order...

Hindi puro publicity at press releases lang....

kevinb

May 6th, 2008, 07:56 AM

jpdm

May 6th, 2008, 08:23 AM

^^ I can't say that the Philippine government is puro pa-cute. At this point, the perfect mix of every technique that will address our country's concerns has not been perfected yet that's why some indutries are left behind, while other industries are currently being further utilized in order for its potential to drive the Philippine economy. The country is doing it step by step, that's why the idea of our country being a first world country by 2020 is still far, but not very far for impossibility to push it farther from us. Let's do it slowly but surely this time.

Sana nga....

Anyway, the government should start with modernizing agriculture and building our manufacturing capabilities...

The Buy Pinoy of the Fil-Chinese (how ironic. yung mga 100% pinoy bukang bibig o mukhang imported) is one sure step.....

crappypants

May 6th, 2008, 09:15 PM

there's nothing impossible. if we fix all the wrong things there shouldn't be a reason why we can't attain developed status.
actually sameold problems are hounding us for decades and nothing aggresive is being implemented.

kmartin

May 6th, 2008, 09:58 PM

it has long way to go to achieve newly industrializec country status.

jpdm

May 7th, 2008, 01:05 AM

^^

Hindi naman. basta focus lang...

iloilocitykid

May 7th, 2008, 01:11 AM

^^ We already are...we're between the fine line of Developed and Third World Countries...;) Here's the qualifications

NICs usually share some other common features, including:

*Increased social freedoms and civil rights.
~Agree, EDSA I - III!

*Strong Political Leaders
~Agree, GMA stood even until now despite here many corrupt and greedy scandals..;)

*A switch from agricultural to industrial economies, especially in the manufacturing sector.
~Agree, the service sector though has the biggest portion of the pie and the agricultural sector as the lowest.

*An increasingly open-market economy, allowing free trade with other nations in the world.
~Agree, Subic and Clark

*Large national corporations operating in several continents.
~Agree, San Miguel Corp., Jollibee Corp., ABS-CBN, etc

*Strong capital investment from foreign countries.
~Agree, Hanjin, etc...

*Political leadership in their area of influence.
~Agree, ASEAN pioneer..:)

barrera_marquez

May 7th, 2008, 06:50 AM

kung ako ang tatanungin, mas gusto kong maging industrialized ang bansa pero at the same time manatili ang agriculture sector para hindi tayo umasa sa importation ng mga raw materials para patakbuhin ang mga industriya natin.

iloilocitykid

May 7th, 2008, 08:10 AM

^^ So if we are to do that and achieve a good economy, then we overprice the products to as much as 10000% when we export them. hehe

barrera_marquez

May 7th, 2008, 09:08 AM

^^ So if we are to do that and achieve a good economy, then we overprice the products to as much as 10000% when we export them. hehe

hyperinflation yang sinasabi mo eh... sa atin hindi naman hyperinflation ang problema natin, hypercorruption.

iloilocitykid

May 7th, 2008, 10:43 AM

^^ Correct!

Manila-X

May 7th, 2008, 10:45 AM

iloilocitykid

May 7th, 2008, 04:22 PM

^^ IMO, we don't need to have too much flare on heavy weaponry such as tanks or fighter planes...for now. We just need to concentrate on destroying the rebellion or insurgency. Tanks or other gadgets aren't useful in situations like this. :)

Our special forces however have a good set of armaments. We have more matters to modernize other than the armed forces.

barrera_marquez

May 8th, 2008, 12:00 AM

ogiñi_ocram

May 11th, 2008, 09:59 AM

i am very positive on this........

rover3

May 12th, 2008, 11:16 PM

jpdm

May 13th, 2008, 12:46 AM

If the Catholic Church can be SHUT UP on their stance on birth control, AND the Filipinos have enough common sense to IGNORE and pay only lip service to this outdated institution --as the Catholic countries in Europe do, then the RP can hope to advance to an industrialzied country status. Otherwise, if its people do not have the common sense and the backbone to stand up to the Catholic Church, then it will always be a country in need. Simple as that.

For me its not the CHurCH to blame but the political will of the government.

Anyway, I hope should contibue attracting real industrial value added manufacturing investments here and abroad to make us truly an industrialized country...

barrera_marquez

May 13th, 2008, 05:50 AM

there should be a clear line between the church and the state since the government is the one who could only directly manipulate everything in this country. This is not the Spanish Era guys and our government type is democrazy not frailocracy.

jpdm

May 13th, 2008, 10:17 AM

PGMA and his administration will blame everybody and everything (GMA blames the media for the rice crisis...:nuts:) except themselves went something went wrong in our country....:bash:

odyssey

May 19th, 2008, 04:25 AM

Go POSITIVE - Philippine Open Source Initiative !!!!

The Philippines has been pushing for Open Source Technology to lower the cost IT software and program in the country.

Cebu to host first worldwide Philippine Open Source Summit on June 23-24
By Willy Rodolfor III
Reporter
http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/0516&172008/economy06.html

THE Cebu Business Month (CBM) activity of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) next month will hold the first Philippine Open Source Summit at the Cebu International Convention Center.

Major stakeholders, experts and advocates of Open Source Technology across the world will gather in Cebu City on June 23 and 24 to discuss how the Open Source movement is changing the rules of the game for information and communications technology (ICT).

“Open source” refers to software or application whose users need no license to operate or use.

They will also “focus on the challenges that the Open Source model introduces into modern mainstream ICT corporations and business enterprises so as to effectively manage Open Source as an integral element in any long-term IT strategy,” a statement from CCCI read.

Top executives from such open source advocates such as Exist Global, Red Hat, Alfresco, Apache Software Foundation and Open Source Initiatives will lead the plenary discussions on June 23.

Breakout sessions will follow the next day with SugarCRM, ADempiere, Pentaho, Drupal, RoR, Eclipse, Maven, Tomcat/Jetty, MySQL.

The Philippine Open Source Summit 2008 is one of the major thrusts of the CBM for the year that is being held in collaboration with the Commission on Information and Communications Technology and in conjunction with the Department of Trade and Industry.

The provincial and city governments of Cebu have also adopted the summit as among their pioneering projects for 2008.

Recognizing that Open Source is one huge wave of the future in the field of ICT, the CCCI now turns its focus to bring together the world-renowned players of various global Open Source initiatives.

odyssey

May 19th, 2008, 12:32 PM

Pension fund urges Meralco to reduce rates by P2 a kwh
http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=news1_may19_2008
By Christine F. Herrera

THE Government Service Insurance System said yesterday it did not have enough proxies to gain management control of power distributor Manila Electric Co., but the state pension fund vowed to sue the power firm should it refuse to lower its power rates and improve its efficiency.

GSIS lawyer Estrella Elamparo made the statement a day after the Saturday deadline for the registration of shareholder proxies ahead of the Meralco stockholders’ meeting set for May 27.

The GSIS wants to gain control of Meralco to force it to open its books. The pension fund claims that the distributor’s power rates are too high, saying it must reduce them and stop charging customers fees that it should be paying itself.

Elamparo said the GSIS did not seek proxies like the family of Oscar and Manolo Lopez, which controls a third of the company distributing electricity to Metro Manila and its suburbs.

“We heard that the Lopezes will vote the Meralco Pension Fund’s 2.2 percent in their favor,” Elamparo said.

“That makes them equal to the GSIS and other government entities’ total holdings in Meralco. They hold 33.4 percent of the shares, and we have 33 to 35 percent. So they are allotted four seats in the board and another four seats for the government.”

Elamparo said there were two vacant seats for “independent” directors, but one allegedly had been given to former Supreme Court Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban, who is also a director of the Lopez-owned First Philippine Holdings Co.

GSIS is seeking to replace Meralco’s corporate secretary with former Supreme Court Justice Hugo Gutierrez, but the special board meeting that was set for the purpose last week was postponed.

“We are confident during the stockholders’ meeting that majority of the shareholders would put pressure on the board by questioning mismanagement and inefficiency in Meralco operations,” Elamparo said.

She said GSIS president and general manager Winston Garcia, who represents the pension fund on Meralco’s board, would also try to persuade stockholders that reducing its rates by P2 per kilowatt hour would be good for the company.

“Lowering the rates by two pesos is a good start,” she said.

“Once inefficiency and mismanagement are corrected, Meralco could reduce the rates more and at the same time keep the company more profitable.”

Garcia would file criminal and civil charges against Meralco officials if they failed to be “as transparent as expected,” Elamparo said,

“The filing of the cases will depend on the turnout of the stockholders’ meeting,” she said, but added the GSIS welcomed the Lopez camp’s move to explain its position on power rates to the Cabinet in Panglao, Bohol, on Tuesday.

Outgoing Cabinet Secretary Ricardo Saludo said Meralco’s representatives had asked to explain its position to the Cabinet, but he was not sure if Meralco chairman Manolo Lopez would be present at the meeting.

“The government has already given its position: We want the power rates of Meralco to be lowered,” Saludo said.

“Now they are being given a chance to present their views to the government. So the Cabinet will listen when they make their presentation,”

Saludo said President Arroyo would also meet with other power distributors from the Visayas and Mindanao.

Eastern Samar Gov. Ben Evardone said the President would preside over an energy forum in Bohol after the Cabinet meeting.

“The President wants to find ways and means to bring down power rates in the Visayas and Mindanao because the omnibus petition only covers Meralco, which caters mostly to Luzon-based consumers,” he said.

“The President wants to make sure the people in the Visayas and Mindanao are not left out in the efforts to lower power rates.”

Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Villafuerte vowed to get tough on Meralco’s officials and the Lopez-owned First Gas Power Corp. over claims Meralco charges consumers P12.99 billion for “ghost deliveries” of electricity.

“Documents don’t lie, especially if they are filed before the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Energy Regulatory Commission and are official records of Meralco and First Gas,” Villafuerte said in a statement.

He had earlier accused Meralco of paying First Gas P12.99 billion from December 2000 to November 2001, although First Gas did not deliver electricity to Meralco. With Joyce Pangco Pañares and Macon Ramos-Araneta