The economic and infrastructure achievents of Arroyo is debatable actually. We need to realize what and which part of the economy actually is considered successfully achieved. As far as I know, the achievement is mostly centered into having better credit ratings, the borrowing power to international creditors. The economic achievement has very little impact on the economic welfare of all filipinos since more filipinos are leaving the country for jobs overseas since the jobs in the Philippines is simply not enough both in numbers and quality. I mentioned the word "quality" with the balance in the quality of living and salary equivalency in mind. While there are call centers jobs available all around the country there are no job availities in the profession our professionals were trained for (eg nurses and IT workers working as customer service), so what the previous administration achieved was just a very temporary measure but it still failed to address the unemployment issues especially in areas vital to the economic upheaval of the country which is mostly in areas of techology and stronger export industry. Road infrastructure and new airports are not necessarily a sign of economic prosperity, it's the people's quality of life, the low poverty rate is the key indicator for a better economy, we keep on confusing ourselves on these...Well said. Just tell me who among previous Presidents was able to do such things?

Well said. Just tell me who among previous Presidents was able to do such things?

I agree, none! And I am not saying this adminstration is achieving that because we have yet to see that.

^^ With her achievements in turning the Philippine economy around, I beg to disagree.

she must be proud of the 0.9% plus the Cat 2 and EU ban. plus she sold the Philippines to China :banana::banana::banana::banana::banana::banana:

Why so pessimistic?

^^ alin ang pessimism? Yung kay Kintoy, I think is more of a satire.

^^ not pessimism.. sarcasm is a better word to describe it.. 99% of his post are sarcastic in nature.

NBN-ZTE. Binenta na tayo sa Beijing.
she must be proud of the 0.9% plus the Cat 2 and EU ban. plus she sold the Philippines to China :banana::banana::banana::banana::banana::banana:

tanong ko lagn..

if binenta tayo ni Arroyo sa Beijing, why did she even bother to sign the Baseline Bill into LAW???

Maganda yung mga infra projects ni PGMA, pero hindi gaano napansin gawa ng negative impression ng tao sa kanya.

But for now, I am looking for the current admin a big infra project na mapapakinabangan. Let's just be constructive na lang sa pag-criticize.

Well that's just the way it is, politics is always about "kissing asses" that's not exclusive to the filipino politicians, the only difference is the gravity and extensiveness of bun cheek kissing :lol::lol:

I wouldn't compare the transparency after EDSA 2 from EDSA 1 because the former has none . I would think that EDA 1 is more of a learning process for filipinos to actually learn what democracy is really all about after two decades of the strongman's rule, the Marcoses. Since Pnoy have witnessed all these, he knew what it's like, the thing is that, while he learn it from the past, he still have no complete grasp on how to handle it since what he learned from the past wasn't enough and was not as successful.

I never said that this is Pnoy's achievement, for one thing, he just started, he has to learn as he go along since what he learned from the past didn't reach its full maturity and was not been perfected. Certainly, alliances still play a role on his administration but what administration in and out of the Philippines not admonished the use of alliances ever? Somehow, alliance vs alliances should work into advantage because it keeps both or all parties in check. And if we keep each other in check, the more they are pressured to practice transparency and we know how transparency works on any economy.

hmm. so what is he now? your padawan? hehe! so when will he be ready to be a Jedi :lol::lol::jk:

seriously, none of this makes sense. :D all im really saying is don't believe every word the government tells you, at least not when it comes to their morality, or their self-righteousness cos its starting to sound really phony, i mean funny hehe! you know how sometimes things sound too good to be true? and you guys always talk about him like he's all that, near perfect and honest. like WTF :lol: i mean i understand this is all part of the Noynoy package they want to convey to the masses, but what i dont get is how the few learned people here can buy into that crap that was intended to appeal only to the masa, plus come on we're 1 year past elections. ;)


NBN-ZTE. Binenta na tayo sa Beijing.

so why did you vote for Gibo and Lakas-CMD? :lol:
that was their party's idea right? if i remember correctly, it was the brainchild of then Speaker de Venecia, which had the approval of Ramos PLUS then Senate Pres. Franklin Drilon (dunno why he agreed considering he was LP--maybe due to K4 alliance) :lol: pinoy politics, sigh! :D

Well said. Just tell me who among previous Presidents was able to do such things?

thing is, all the past presidents we had after Marcos did not differ significantly on their policies, and if the current one fails to rectify those long standing structural defects within the system and get too busy running after tax cheats only (which may be impressive at the moment but hardly sustainable), he won't be very differnt from them either. :)

it was the brainchild of then Speaker de Venecia, which had the approval of Ramos PLUS then Senate Pres. Franklin Drilon (dunno why he agreed considering he was LP--maybe due to K4 alliance) :lol: pinoy politics, sigh! :DThat's what I am saying. This JMSU thing and other things concerning China are part of JDV's plans approved by Drilon and the gang. So it is impossible that they don't know about this. So it kinda annoys me when they condemn something that they themselves approved from the beginning.

thing is, all the past presidents we had after Marcos did not differ significantly on their policies, and if the current one fails to rectify those long standing structural defects within the system and get too busy running after tax cheats only (which may be impressive at the moment but hardly sustainable), he won't be very differnt from them either. :)Exactly. Not to mention that not even one was able to jail Marcos and his cronies. That alone speaks of how ridiculous this system that these post-Marcos presidents have built. After EDSA I, all we're seeing are mere rehash of old rhetoric with no structural reforms. I don't expect anything in the future. Same old things will remain, only a change in personalities.

Sometimes it feels good to be skeptical, it gives me the angst that I need.

That's what I am saying. This JMSU thing and other things concerning China are part of JDV's plans approved by Drilon and the gang. So it is impossible that they don't know about this. So it kinda annoys me when they condemn something that they themselves approved from the beginning.

Exactly. Not to mention that not even one was able to jail Marcos and his cronies. That alone speaks of how ridiculous this system that these post-Marcos presidents have built. After EDSA I, all we're seeing are mere rehash of old rhetoric with no structural reforms. I don't expect anything in the future. Same old things will remain, only a change in personalities.

Sometimes it feels good to be skeptical, it gives me the angst that I need.

the ex-con president we had was even able to run for president...again (from my knowledge of the constitution, an ELECTED president can't run twice). It didn't mention that it had to complete its term to not be counted as elected president

Le Reine is correct............ everyone should be skeptical of govt and Pnoy admin should get no different treatment... Change in personality but the way of the system is same. Good that there are indications that it is a bit harder to corrupt contracts these days but these are not solid changes.

so why did you vote for Gibo and Lakas-CMD? :lol:
that was their party's idea right? if i remember correctly, it was the brainchild of then Speaker de Venecia, which had the approval of Ramos PLUS then Senate Pres. Franklin Drilon (dunno why he agreed considering he was LP--maybe due to K4 alliance) :lol: pinoy politics, sigh! :D

Si Gibo binoto ko hindi si Gloria.

That's what I am saying. This JMSU thing and other things concerning China are part of JDV's plans approved by Drilon and the gang. So it is impossible that they don't know about this. So it kinda annoys me when they condemn something that they themselves approved from the beginning.

Exactly. Not to mention that not even one was able to jail Marcos and his cronies. That alone speaks of how ridiculous this system that these post-Marcos presidents have built. After EDSA I, all we're seeing are mere rehash of old rhetoric with no structural reforms. I don't expect anything in the future. Same old things will remain, only a change in personalities.

Sometimes it feels good to be skeptical, it gives me the angst that I need.

You nailed this one.

NBN-ZTE. Binenta na tayo sa Beijing.

Actually, the Philippine for sale sign went up years before that.

Actually, the Philippine for sale sign went up years before that.

Right. Panahon ni Cory. Minadali lang nung panahon Ate Glo. Hopefully maiba itong si Noy.

tuwid na bentahan kay Noy:D

The economic and infrastructure achievents of Arroyo is debatable actually. We need to realize what and which part of the economy actually is considered successfully achieved. As far as I know, the achievement is mostly centered into having better credit ratings, the borrowing power to international creditors. The economic achievement has very little impact on the economic welfare of all filipinos since more filipinos are leaving the country for jobs overseas since the jobs in the Philippines is simply not enough both in numbers and quality. I mentioned the word "quality" with the balance in the quality of living and salary equivalency in mind. While there are call centers jobs available all around the country there are no job availities in the profession our professionals were trained for (eg nurses and IT workers working as customer service), so what the previous administration achieved was just a very temporary measure but it still failed to address the unemployment issues especially in areas vital to the economic upheaval of the country which is mostly in areas of techology and stronger export industry. Road infrastructure and new airports are not necessarily a sign of economic prosperity, it's the people's quality of life, the low poverty rate is the key indicator for a better economy, we keep on confusing ourselves on these...

Debatable?

Yes you're right. Whats to debate about 0.9% and Cat 2 and EU ban, the 50-kph overpriced and unstarted Northrail, the scandal-plagued broadband project, etc

for all the hatred against GMA, she was a good economic manager... People forget about 2008-2009 financial and economic crisis.... the US 2003-2004 recessions... etc. there were many external economic shocks pero the Philippines had years of stable (admittedly slow) progress. Corrupt nga lang... again separate your Pnoy fanboyism against comparing to GMA... selective data bias ginagawa ng most posters.

debatable ang economic and infrastructure achievement? The infra achievement is there and being used so i do not think it is debatable. The value for money maybe. Is there long term benefit... if it is roads, bridges, ports... for sure there is benefit.

for all the hatred against GMA, she was a good economic manager... People forget about 2008-2009 financial and economic crisis.... the US 2003-2004 recessions... etc. there were many external economic shocks pero the Philippines had years of stable (admittedly slow) progress. Corrupt nga lang... again separate your Pnoy fanboyism against comparing to GMA... selective data bias ginagawa ng most posters.

debatable ang economic and infrastructure achievement? The infra achievement is there and being used so i do not think it is debatable. The value for money maybe. Is there long term benefit... if it is roads, bridges, ports... for sure there is benefit.

:lol::lol::lol:

:lol::lol::lol:

:lol::lol::lol:

:lol::lol::lol:

think cost benefit analysis. :lol::lol::lol:

saan na nga ba napunta ang zte at northrail project. :lol:

si itlog na bugok ano na nga ba ang nagawa...nakaisang taon na....wala pa rin maipakita sana naman ngayong pangalawang sona nya ay sabihin na nya ng may detalye ang mga goals and objectives nya....na S.M.A.R.T. nde lang sa tuwid na daan......dahil yung daan na yun ay medyo bako bako na dahil hindi wala pa rin ang PPP na pinangalandakan nya.....:ohno:

Both zte at northrail diba cancelled? Zte nabuking ang bukol, northrail naman eh na pulitika ni pnooy at nung baboy na si drilon....

Ultimately walang ma cost benefit analysis kasi wala heheh theortical lang. Masyado tayo nag fofocus sa mga na memedia na infra. Daming kalye, roro at tulay na construct sa period ng gma, I'm sure marami na cOrrupt dun pero me benefit yun undeniable. Marami ako kaibigan yumaman kaka construct niyang mga kalye ni ebdane heheh

http://www.dpwh.gov.ph/infrastructure/major_projects/pdf/PMO_COMPLETED.pdf

Most of the projects here started during GMA's time some started during Pnoy's time. But all projects in the list are all completed. As per the DPWH.

for all the hatred against GMA, she was a good economic manager... People forget about 2008-2009 financial and economic crisis.... the US 2003-2004 recessions... etc. there were many external economic shocks pero the Philippines had years of stable (admittedly slow) progress. Corrupt nga lang... again separate your Pnoy fanboyism against comparing to GMA... selective data bias ginagawa ng most posters.

debatable ang economic and infrastructure achievement? The infra achievement is there and being used so i do not think it is debatable. The value for money maybe. Is there long term benefit... if it is roads, bridges, ports... for sure there is benefit.

Good manager nga. O paalala lang sa mga nakakalimot.
O bossing, ito cost benefit mo. From the Tribune, now the favorite of Gloria's fanboys.toinks!:lol::lol::lol:



Deny, lie and destroy
:lol: :lol: :lol:


http://www.tribune.net.ph/commentary/20090227com1.html
EDITORIAL
02/27/2009

The routine among Gloria and her cabal is to deny and later on launch a counter-attack, usually funded to high heavens, against the accusers, which, however, serves no other purpose but to sustain their political survival.[QUOTE]Deny, lie and destroy
This daily grind in Malacañang was what caused the unpopularity of Gloria and her administration and not the supposed “hard decisions” she claims to have had to implement for the economy.

A prime example of the deny and destroy tactic is the current World Bank (WB) road project scandal in which, as a course of nature, First Gentleman Jose Miguel “Mike” Arroyo was identified as a central character.
[/B]
A referral report of the WB on the bid-rigging investigations on the National Road Improvement and Management Program 1 that The Tribune obtained, with a few other papers, unequivocally named Big Mike as a main participant in the collusion practices in the bidding of government infrastructure contracts.

The WB’s investigative division or INT even ventured to say that the cartel it caught manipulating the auction for the road project has been a fixture in the government biddings.

Big Mike’s lawyers, the other day, were all over town talking to broadcast and print media to attack the credibility of the WB report and the senators who wanted a new investigation after an earlier railroaded hearing of the bid-rigging scandal.

Imagine how much more would Big Mike and his richly-paid battery of lawyers assault media with their bare-faced lies if the Right of Reply Bill would become law. Instead of news, the public will be bombarded with front page denials and outright lies from Big Mike’s lawyers.

The atrocious demand of Big Mike’s lawyers is that the WB should present its witnesses to issue sworn affidavits to be presented to the courts even if nothing prospers in the local courts when Gloria and Big Mike’s interests are at stake.

The WB report on the bid-rigging scandal has been with the government since November 2007 and prior to that, WB officials met with Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez in early May 2006, or more than a year before the report was submitted, to brief her in advance of the institution’s findings on the bid-rigging allegations.

Two years passed and Gutierrez during the Senate said it was still in the preliminary investigation stage on the report, which time was more than a year after it was submitted to her.

Either Gutierrez wanted to picture herself as a pure ***** or she was obviously stalling and that the best alibi she could give was that she cannot use the WB referral report as evidence because of the disclaimers by the institution and that its contents cannot be revealed since these were classified.

It would be common sense for Gutierrez to deduce that the WB may have a purpose in giving the government the referral report with an offer of assistance if she pursues an investigation to establish a criminal case from it.

The WB had a hard time putting across the message that it cannot recommend but only provide the leads to the government, primarily Gutierrez, to act in accordance with its findings in the bid-rigging allegations.

The reason for Gutierrez’s playing dumb was that Big Mike was clearly the biggest name among those that the WB investigation had pinned down as part of the corrupt practice.

Worse, the railroaded Senate investigation into the mess, made it look like it was the fault of the WB to make public the result of its findings or in probing the rigging of bids after Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago, who was at the helm of the inquiry, started to hit at the WB officials for withholding internal reports on the investigation while the referral report was for two years in the hands of government.

The heavily-documented fiasco appears designed to make any of those who attempt to save the hide of Big Mike look extremely stupid.

The WB fiasco would be hard to refute because of the heavy documentation that went into it plus the reputation of the investigator.

Big Mike’s only option is to ride out the controversy with the usual media bombardment of denials and smokescreens which his lawyers had already started by issuing statements that the attacks on the First Gentleman are coming from those with electoral ambitions.

Lies and denials would be constant until hopefully forever which can only happen if Gloria is perpetually in power.

That option appears to be already being worked on.

_________________
Someday in the distant future, scientists will score a breakthrough and replicate the amazingly powerful adhesive with which Gloria Arroyo has managed to cling to power.

http://www.hotmanila.ph/ESP/2010/gloria_aeterna-01.html

paki cost benefit uli ito..toinks...:lol::lol::lol::lol:


TESDA chief: 'Phl heavy in debt when GMA left'


(The Philippine Star)
Updated June 25, 2011 04:22 PM Comments (17) View comments

MANILA, Philippines - "Nothing left at home."

This was how an ally of President Benigno Aquino III described what Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo left for the current administration to start on.

"The more accurate state of affairs when she stepped down from office last year after her nine-year stint could be aptly described as 'nothing left at home,'" said Joel Villanueva, former CIBAC party-list representative Joel Villanueve and now head of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).

Villanueva was defending President Aquino from former President Arroyo's attack on his administration. The former president said that the current government leadership is slowly wasting the fruits of her hardwork in her nine-year stint in Malacañang.

"The economy that I left was very strong at the time there was a global crisis, now when the rest of Asia is recovering, our economy is decelerating, so that's the problem," she said in a press conference yesterday at the height of a devastating storm. She said President Aquino lacks leadership and his economic policies faulty.

Villanueva said the real score was that the previous administration left the Aquino administration with almost nothing. He said that the Arroyo administration left "not only with empty coffers, but heavy in debt."

He cited the P2 billion scholarship vouchers the previous TESDA administratin distributed despite the absence of funds.

Villanueva, who was openly bashing the previous administration while he was congressman, said that what former President Arroyo left was a "bad image."

He said that if Arroyo's claims that the current administration is moving too slow are even true, it is because President Aquino and his Cabinet are "preoccupied with cleaning the mess [the Arroyo adminstration] left while attending to the people's needs."

"In TESDA, we are doing our share of house-cleaning, while pursuing programs that are pro-active and relevant to our constituents. Trainings actually happen, and modules of courses are reviewed and retrofitted to suit the needs of the market," he said.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte had said that the former president was just trying to "deflect attention from her refusing to submit to proper procedures for ascertaining accountability."

"Rep. Arroyo essentially wants to be treated as a former president at a time when no one has denied her the courtesies due her being a former chief executive. She seems to confuse official courtesy with the hallmark of her stay in power -- impunity," she said.

"We don't know what economic policies she is referring to because the ones we have so far are working. We regret that instead of focusing on her constituents' needs at this time, she is instead trying to hog the headlines in a gambit to distract attention from her past deeds," she added. (PNA)

Tama na muna ampalaya (bitterness)...good news muna...:cheers::cheers:


Filipino roadshow in Italy a big success


(The Philippine Star)
Updated June 25, 2011


MANILA, Philippines - The current revival of the Filipino economy has been the absolute protagonist today among the business community of the ‘economic capital’ of Italy – Milan.

A big audience composed of 370 local entrepreneurs – 200 of which were inside the venue, with the rest participating via streaming connection – attended the first leg of the Philippine roadshow promoted by the Italian Embassy in Manila, in partnership with the Board of Investments of the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry and the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines.

All seats were occupied and yet there were those who had to stand at the grand hall of the Chamber of Commerce in Milan. The aim was to inform the business community about the many opportunities that the Philippines has to offer to Italian and European companies who are targeting the Asian markets, including China, Japan, South Korea and the ASEAN countries.

Luca Fornari, the Italian Ambassador to the Philippines, explains: “Italians are aware of the great qualities of Filipinos who are working in our country, but they are not aware of all the advantages that could be offered to them should they decide to invest in the Philippines, be it in manufacturing and/or service and after-sales operations. Moreover, the core of Italian entrepreneurship in fashion, design, furniture and other industries is composed of very dynamic small and medium enterprises that need to set up their international operations in countries where communication is easy and where they can establish friendly partnerships based on trust and transparency. And I believe that there is no other place in Asia where this can be done as easily as in the Philippines.”

President Aquino himself has been briefly informed about the initiative taken by Ambassador Fornari on the occasion of Philippine Independence Day and took an interest in this communication format for promoting our country abroad.

The Filipino delegation was headed by Tong Buencamino, senior trade representative of the DTI’s European office in Berlin. The audience took a strong interest in everything – from the information on the opportunities offered by the Philippine economic zones, to the whole set of PPP projects undertaken by the Aquino government. The audience openly applauded Riccardo Mattei – the CEO of Leigh Fisher Italia, a consultant to the World Bank and the Philippine government – for the launch of the PPP projects and bids. It was also Mattei who announced that within the next few days, a meeting organized by the Philippine government with the future investors under the PPP initiatives will take place.

“The right time to look at the Philippines is now,” said Mattei, who also praised the “high competence” of the public officials that he met. During the meeting, Carlo Cordaro of Filveneer, Roberto Fazzini of Italfood and Joey Leviste of Constellation Energy, related to the audience their personal (and very successful) experiences in the country. There were many questions by Italian entrepreneurs of different industries, ranging from fashion to car components, who want to explore the possibility of setting up new operations in the Philippines.

Those who attended the meeting also received a business guide published for this occasion – How and why to make business in the Philippines – sponsored by a group of Italian companies.

“We believe that we need to inform our friends in Italy about all the opportunities they can have in this country,” says Armando de Rossi, one the sponsors and the head of the newly established Italian Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines. The other Italian companies and entrepreneurs supporting the program are: Trevi Foundation Group (a construction company), Ettore Rossi (CEO and founder of Advanced Foundation, Construction Systems Corp.), Carlo Cordaro (FilVeneer), Gianni Guidicelli (president and founder of Cebu Flamingo), Niccolò Terrei (CEO and founder of Elburg Ship Management) and Assicurazioni Generali, the biggest life insurance company in Europe – owner of Generali Pilipinas.

The other meetings of the roadshow, hosted by the local Chambers of Commerce, are currently taking place in Padua, near Venice, and in Turin (the Italian car industry hub). On June 27 in Rome, a final meeting will be hosted by the Italian Confederation of Industries (Confindustria) with the support of Philippine Commercial Attaché John Paul B. Iñigo, and Philippine Ambassador to Italy Romeo L. Manalo.

The start of the roadshow also attracted a lot of attention from the local media, especially from the leading Italian business newspaper – Il Sole 24 Ore – which dedicated its online edition and its international business page to the Filipino economic revival.

paki cost benefit uli ito..toinks...:lol::lol::lol::lol:


TESDA chief: 'Phl heavy in debt when GMA left'


(The Philippine Star)
Updated June 25, 2011 04:22 PM Comments (17) View comments

MANILA, Philippines - "Nothing left at home."

This was how an ally of President Benigno Aquino III described what Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo left for the current administration to start on.

"The more accurate state of affairs when she stepped down from office last year after her nine-year stint could be aptly described as 'nothing left at home,'" said Joel Villanueva, former CIBAC party-list representative Joel Villanueve and now head of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).

Villanueva was defending President Aquino from former President Arroyo's attack on his administration. The former president said that the current government leadership is slowly wasting the fruits of her hardwork in her nine-year stint in Malacañang.

"The economy that I left was very strong at the time there was a global crisis, now when the rest of Asia is recovering, our economy is decelerating, so that's the problem," she said in a press conference yesterday at the height of a devastating storm. She said President Aquino lacks leadership and his economic policies faulty.

Villanueva said the real score was that the previous administration left the Aquino administration with almost nothing. He said that the Arroyo administration left "not only with empty coffers, but heavy in debt."

He cited the P2 billion scholarship vouchers the previous TESDA administratin distributed despite the absence of funds.

Villanueva, who was openly bashing the previous administration while he was congressman, said that what former President Arroyo left was a "bad image."

He said that if Arroyo's claims that the current administration is moving too slow are even true, it is because President Aquino and his Cabinet are "preoccupied with cleaning the mess [the Arroyo adminstration] left while attending to the people's needs."

"In TESDA, we are doing our share of house-cleaning, while pursuing programs that are pro-active and relevant to our constituents. Trainings actually happen, and modules of courses are reviewed and retrofitted to suit the needs of the market," he said.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte had said that the former president was just trying to "deflect attention from her refusing to submit to proper procedures for ascertaining accountability."

"Rep. Arroyo essentially wants to be treated as a former president at a time when no one has denied her the courtesies due her being a former chief executive. She seems to confuse official courtesy with the hallmark of her stay in power -- impunity," she said.

"We don't know what economic policies she is referring to because the ones we have so far are working. We regret that instead of focusing on her constituents' needs at this time, she is instead trying to hog the headlines in a gambit to distract attention from her past deeds," she added. (PNA)

hahaha.....not directly addressing the issue.....the usual style of deflection.....hindi pa ba natututo ang mga alipores ni bulok na itlog sa palasyo na hindi na umuubra pa kyut nila....:lol:

paki cost benefit uli ito..toinks...:lol::lol::lol::lol:


TESDA chief: 'Phl heavy in debt when GMA left'


(The Philippine Star)
Updated June 25, 2011 04:22 PM Comments (17) View comments

MANILA, Philippines - "Nothing left at home."

This was how an ally of President Benigno Aquino III described what Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo left for the current administration to start on.

"The more accurate state of affairs when she stepped down from office last year after her nine-year stint could be aptly described as 'nothing left at home,'" said Joel Villanueva, former CIBAC party-list representative Joel Villanueve and now head of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).

Villanueva was defending President Aquino from former President Arroyo's attack on his administration. The former president said that the current government leadership is slowly wasting the fruits of her hardwork in her nine-year stint in Malacañang.

"The economy that I left was very strong at the time there was a global crisis, now when the rest of Asia is recovering, our economy is decelerating, so that's the problem," she said in a press conference yesterday at the height of a devastating storm. She said President Aquino lacks leadership and his economic policies faulty.

Villanueva said the real score was that the previous administration left the Aquino administration with almost nothing. He said that the Arroyo administration left "not only with empty coffers, but heavy in debt."

He cited the P2 billion scholarship vouchers the previous TESDA administratin distributed despite the absence of funds.

Villanueva, who was openly bashing the previous administration while he was congressman, said that what former President Arroyo left was a "bad image."

He said that if Arroyo's claims that the current administration is moving too slow are even true, it is because President Aquino and his Cabinet are "preoccupied with cleaning the mess [the Arroyo adminstration] left while attending to the people's needs."

"In TESDA, we are doing our share of house-cleaning, while pursuing programs that are pro-active and relevant to our constituents. Trainings actually happen, and modules of courses are reviewed and retrofitted to suit the needs of the market," he said.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte had said that the former president was just trying to "deflect attention from her refusing to submit to proper procedures for ascertaining accountability."

"Rep. Arroyo essentially wants to be treated as a former president at a time when no one has denied her the courtesies due her being a former chief executive. She seems to confuse official courtesy with the hallmark of her stay in power -- impunity," she said.

"We don't know what economic policies she is referring to because the ones we have so far are working. We regret that instead of focusing on her constituents' needs at this time, she is instead trying to hog the headlines in a gambit to distract attention from her past deeds," she added. (PNA)


Eh si GMA rin naman pala ang may kasalanan kaya mabagal ang move ng economy tapos siya pa ang nag co-complain.

Anyway is there any connection if the country has too much debt does it affect the way the government spend like for example infrastructures? because last quarter we underspend right?

sorry i'm not an economist my field is very far from it. I like SSC i learn a lot about this things.

^^I would believe that news, its the very reason why GMA worked hard to improve the Philipines credit ratings, the borrowing power has increased. It did make the country in deeper debt than it was during Marcos Regime. Greater Economy in guise of better GDP and Infrastructure development which are the absolute key player on corruptions but failed to improve the quality of life of the filipino masses and heightened level of poverty in the Philippine history. I'd be just ecstatic if I see a decreasing poverty level towards the end of Aquino term but if didn't atleast reach 30% less poverty, then, nothing really changed.

ano ba yan...


napulutika na naman ang economy thread....

^^I would believe that news, its the very reason why GMA worked hard to improve the Philipines credit ratings, the borrowing power has increased. It did make the country in deeper debt than it was during Marcos Regime. Greater Economy in guise of better GDP and Infrastructure development which are the absolute key player on corruptions but failed to improve the quality of life of the filipino masses and heightened level of poverty in the Philippine history. I'd be just ecstatic if I see a decreasing poverty level towards the end of Aquino term but if didn't atleast reach 30% less poverty, then, nothing really changed.

^^Perhaps, it is the very reason why GMA had to get back in politics. "Unfinished business", with a lot of contractor, unscrupolous dealings that need to be capped. Monitor what comes out into light from her past dealings during her administration. Common sense, why would an ex-Prsident need to go back in politics as a Congresswoman. I could sense something "fishy" and "slimy".:bash:

Infra and GDP, indeed doesn't translate to economic bouyancy, if it never resonate to a better quality of life among the people.

Villanueva said the real score was that the previous administration left the Aquino administration with almost nothing. He said that the Arroyo administration left "not only with empty coffers, but heavy in debt."[/SIZE]

[COLOR="Red"]He cited the P2 billion scholarship vouchers the previous TESDA administratin distributed despite the absence of funds.I don't see any problem with having Php2B in debt of TESDA if these are indeed used for scholarships. Hindi naman trabaho ng TESDA ang kumita in the first place. Sa dami ng nakita kong natulungan ng TESDA funds na yan. Puwede naman nilang i-replenish ang funds for it.

As for the debt, hello? Kailan ba tayo nagkaroon ng mababang debt?

Anyway is there any connection if the country has too much debt does it affect the way the government spend like for example infrastructures? because last quarter we underspend right?

sorry i'm not an economist my field is very far from it. I like SSC i learn a lot about this things.Debt per se is not bad. It is bad if it was used in unproductive investments/items. It will affect government spending if much of the budget is used for paying debts instead on social services or other necessities.

^^I would believe that news, its the very reason why GMA worked hard to improve the Philipines credit ratings, the borrowing power has increased. It did make the country in deeper debt than it was during Marcos Regime. Greater Economy in guise of better GDP and Infrastructure development which are the absolute key player on corruptions but failed to improve the quality of life of the filipino masses and heightened level of poverty in the Philippine history. I'd be just ecstatic if I see a decreasing poverty level towards the end of Aquino term but if didn't atleast reach 30% less poverty, then, nothing really changed.Wala na tayo sa 30% poverty rate. Kaya lang nasa 26% (2009) para rin last time I checked. Pero at least bumaba despite the world crisis. Poverty stats are generated every 3 years.

As for the credit ratings. All Presidents after Marcos wanted and worked hard for the upgrade in ratings. It may mean more debt, but the debt would become manageable because of lower interests and longer maturity.

As for the debt, hello? Kailan ba tayo nagkaroon ng mababang debt?

Historically, bago umupo si Marcos.


Wala na tayo sa 30% poverty rate. Kaya lang nasa 26% (2009) para rin last time I checked. Pero at least bumaba despite the world crisis. Poverty stats are generated every 3 years.

In terms of poverty incidence among families, there was only a slight reduction during the three-year period – from 21.1% in 2006 to 20.9% in 2009(NSCB, 2009).

Historically, bago umupo si Marcos.And not during our lifetime, right? so what's new.

In terms of poverty incidence among families, there was only a slight reduction during the three-year period – from 21.1% in 2006 to 20.9% in 2009(NSCB, 2009) Yes, I'm aware of that. Decrease is better then nothing at all I guess.

for all the hatred against GMA, she was a good economic manager... People forget about 2008-2009 financial and economic crisis.... the US 2003-2004 recessions... etc. there were many external economic shocks pero the Philippines had years of stable (admittedly slow) progress. Corrupt nga lang... again separate your Pnoy fanboyism against comparing to GMA... selective data bias ginagawa ng most posters.

debatable ang economic and infrastructure achievement? The infra achievement is there and being used so i do not think it is debatable. The value for money maybe. Is there long term benefit... if it is roads, bridges, ports... for sure there is benefit.
Here we go again, We should make a different thread for past and present administrations achievements and....It is the economy thread.
:ohno::ohno::ohno:

Here we go again, We should make a different thread for past and present administrations achievements and....It is the economy thread.
:ohno::ohno::ohno:

there is nothing wrong with commenting on past and present economic management...... kaya nga andito tayo eh.... you all want just good news posting and press release analysis? :nuts:

Have a little strength.... critical feedback would do everyone good and fair analysis of the data. For example the debt issue, if we spent that debt on roads, school buildings and security... I see no issue... we just get stuck on the fact that 'we borrowed or GMA borrowed'..... where did the money go that is good discussion..

Contract between NorthRail, Chinese group to push through

By Mary Ann LL. Reyes (The Philippine Star) Updated April 25, 2011 12:00 AM Comments (0) View comments

MANILA, Philippines - The contract between the North Luzon Railways Corp. (NorthRail) and Chinese contractor Sinomach for the rehabilitation of Northrail will proceed after the Department of Transportation and Communications cleared it from allegations of anomalies in its execution.

DOTC Undersecretary Glicerio Sicat said that they are about to finish reviewing the contract and that they have not found anything wrong with it. “There won’t be a cancellation,” he said.

Sinomach, formerly China National Machinery and Equipment Corp., was awarded a contract to rehabilitate the NorthRail, a project funded by a loan from the Chinese Export-Import Bank.

The two phases of the NorthRail project are being reviewed by the agency due to allegations of over pricing. It also took note of the project’s slow progress.

The NorthRail project Section1, a 42-kilometer train line which runs from Caloocan City to Malolos, Bulacan, has been under construction since 2008. So far, the project is only 20-percent complete. The project has been undergoing review since July last year.

The completion date of phase 1 has been moved to 2013.

The NorthRail project Section 2, which runs from Malolos, Bulacan, to Clark, Pampanga, is also being reviewed to clarify and improve contract conditions and to expedite project implementation.

Transportation Secretary Jose de Jesus said the NorthRail project is just one of the many projects being reviewed by his agency to make sure that there are no anomalies.

NorthRail is reducing its manpower by almost half on April 29.

De Jesus said employees of NorthRail will be trimmed by 76 “due to over staffing.”

“NorthRail will reduce manpower by almost half, from 168 to 92,” de Jesus, as he pointed out that those who were laid off served non-technical positions.

“The review is nearly complete and we are now in discussions with the contractor,” he added.

Last December, the DOTC cleared 111 contracts entered into by the agency, its sectoral offices and attached agencies with the private sector. However, 19 were put on hold. These projects were approved in the few remaining months of the Arroyo administration.

According to de Jesus, the review was meant to ensure that these contracts are above board and waslso necessary to remove the potential obstacles that might get in the way of the full implementation of these projects.



MarQuino is really demonizing the Filipino People after they have spent so many time and money trying to investigate this project. After all they have found nothing out of it and truly de Jesus is really saying the truth...
The president is not doing good instead of telling the People about the truth of this investigation...:ohno:

tuwid na daan at work:D

As for the credit ratings. All Presidents after Marcos wanted and worked hard for the upgrade in ratings. It may mean more debt, but the debt would become manageable because of lower interests and longer maturity.

Thats a very valid point, GMA did a good job on that part, Its basically by paying debts in a timely manner and attracting foreign investors in the process in form of call centers or BPOs, trouble is, there is always this personal agenda when investors started coming in especially on infrastructure investments, seems like all the politicians would want to have their hands on it. What GMA did not really address is to create more jobs for the poor, as most jobs in BPO centers usually caters for those with a higher level of education and that GMA focused the government revenues by tripling the figures on OFW deployments where the government recieve all the flows of dollar reserve, it's an easy way out, it seems to be impressive because it's eye blinding, but if you look into it, it was just a wise move not really a very smart and talented move. Had she given more focused on supporting technology development and the import industry along with agriculture, the real poor filipinos would have benefitted from these as HS grads or undergrads can be given decent paying job. This is where Pnoy should be focusing now aside from supporting OFW deployment, let's face it, the country still needs the support of OFWs but the plan should be geared towards providing for the lesser fortunate filipinos who are what we call IS. They are there in poverty for a reason and it's not only by choice but it's more on the country's economic situation. I Don't mind if the Philippines be in debt, that's part of the whole trade scenario, but there should also be a balance between that, keeping the credit ratings high and uplifting the quality of lives. That's where the short fall in the GMA adminstration. Had there not been any surmounting corruptions in her term, even if there are still high employment rates in the Philippines, she would not get blamed because after all Ramos, Erap and herself time all inherited these from Marcos time as well as Cory's time, blessed her soul but the country was never rightfully managed in her time especially when during her term anti foreign investors policy started.

MarQuino is really demonizing the Filipino People after they have spent so many time and money trying to investigate this project. After all they have found nothing out of it and truly de Jesus is really saying the truth...
The president is not doing good instead of telling the People about the truth of this investigation...:ohno:

Isn't it that NorthRail project has been halted during the Arroyo's term?? Two years before Aquino won the election and over two years after Aquino assumed the office?

yan yung pina imbestigahan nga ng kampon ni Noy:D

MarQuino is really demonizing the Filipino People after they have spent so many time and money trying to investigate this project. After all they have found nothing out of it and truly de Jesus is really saying the truth...
The president is not doing good instead of telling the People about the truth of this investigation...:ohno:



Sa palagay ko wala namang masama sa investigation nato. Ginawa lang nila to kasi almost lahat ng projects ni GMA ay may kasamang kababalaghan (to many to mention).

^^Sa palagay ko wala namang masama sa investigation nato. Ginawa lang nila to kasi almost lahat ng projects ni GMA ay may kasamang kababalaghan (to many to mention).

agree naman walang issue sa imbestigasyon, me issue ako sa kabagalan at default cancellation dahil gma linked.... sayang ang oras natin. i think yun lang punto ng karamihan....

Pnoy naman siguro me desire to help the Nation, wag lang sana mag patumpik tumpik at patulog tulog sa pansitan... iwan na iwan na tayo

Sa palagay ko wala namang masama sa investigation nato. Ginawa lang nila to kasi almost lahat ng projects ni GMA ay may kasamang kababalaghan (to many to mention).

it is better to do the reforms now early in his term to have a better system in place for the next 5 years.

parang long distance na biyahe yan ba, sa simula nag aayos ka ng kotse. gulong, tubig ilaw lahat. mabagal talaga but in the long term much better.

or kay stephen covey, sharpening the saw ngayon. kesa mag attempt ka magtrabaho na mapurol ang gamit mo.

do the reforms now and in the next 5 years we will see the result.

kasi kung wala tayo reforms, investors and financial institutions will stay away from us, or worse, blacklist us like what the wb did for our favorite portly ex fg. :lol:

it is better to do the reforms now early in his term to have a better system in place for the next 5 years.

parang long distance na biyahe yan ba, sa simula nag aayos ka ng kotse. gulong, tubig ilaw lahat. mabagal talaga but in the long term much better.

or kay stephen covey, sharpening the saw ngayon. kesa mag attempt ka magtrabaho na mapurol ang gamit mo.

do the reforms now and in the next 5 years we will see the result.

kasi kung wala tayo reforms, investors and financial institutions will stay away from us, or worse, blacklist us like what the wb did for our favorite portly ex fg. :lol:



exactly. ang gusto kasi ng iba dito instant kaya sila nadidisappoint. Relax muna, after fixing the mess of GMA then pwede na.:lol:

exactly. ang gusto kasi ng iba dito instant kaya sila nadidisappoint. Relax muna, after fixing the mess of GMA then pwede na.:lol:

haste makes waste. ang growth kasi steady yan dapat, hindi instant. just look around you and everyone would realize that the boom especially in construction is so palpable.

there is growth in private sector led projects kasi they know there is an open field, hindi lang kotong lahat. pati bir hindi na makasyado makahothot.

ang public sector, there have been delayes, there have been go signals also. that is prudent fiscal management.

kung anak or younger sibling nga humingi sa yo ng 500, tatanungin mo talaga para saan.

ano na kaya kung mga 17b investments. hihimayin mo talaga.

value engineering ba para mawala ang mga bukol.

^^ since they found out that there is nothing "WRONG" with the NORTHRAIL-contract and there won't be any cancellation...

baka nman pede nang mag HASTE, since marami nang panahon ang nasayang.....

sagwa pakinggan ng mag-haste he he parang fraternity hahahaha CORNY!!

^^ since they found out that there is nothing "WRONG" with the NORTHRAIL-contract and there won't be any cancellation...

baka nman pede nang mag HASTE, since marami nang panahon ang nasayang.....

:lol::lol::lol:, magtayo nga ng subdisivion can take 5 years, and that is very fast for developers ha.

for government, to have delays like that, especially with row of issues, expected talaga yan.

:lol::lol::lol:, magtayo nga ng subdisivion can take 5 years, and that is very fast for developers ha.

for government, to have delays like that, especially with row of issues, expected talaga yan.

ngeeee,:lol: mabilis namn gawin ang railways kesa subd. palusot dat com na namn mga KKK ni pnoy:lol::lol::lol:

ngeeee,:lol: mabilis namn gawin ang railways kesa subd. palusot dat com na namn mga KKK ni pnoy:lol::lol::lol:

:lol::lol::lol:.

talking out of your ass again. do you know how many years it takes to settle right of way issues?:lol:

^^ input ko lang ha. yung northrail wala na masyado ROW acquisition dahil lumang PNR row ang inaward diyan. At nung GMA time nag linis narin sila ng ROW at pinatanggal na ang mga dating IS.

Hindi naman ata expected na tapos agad next year yung northrail kung hindi ituloy lang at ng matapos na. Sa transport section makikita niyo na marami ng pier heads ang nasimulan pero natigil lahat.

:lol::lol::lol:.

talking out of your ass again. do you know how many years it takes to settle right of way issues?:lol:

ows:D sige lusot ka na 20 years nga pala bago matapos yan:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:

mabilis pa nga yan di ba Noy:D

mukhang walang ma ireport si Noy na projects completed:D
di ba puwet?, am talking to my puwet:D:D:D

exactly. ang gusto kasi ng iba dito instant kaya sila nadidisappoint. Relax muna, after fixing the mess of GMA then pwede na.:lol:

Tapos na nga yung investigation and De Jesus has suggested already the continuation of the Project dahil walang anomalya sa Project... What did the President do?:lol::lol::lol::lol:

Tapos na nga yung investigation and De Jesus has suggested already the continuation of the Project dahil walang anomalya sa Project... What did the President do?:lol::lol::lol::lol:

eh kasi yung expose nina Drilon at Pnoy wala pala kung hindi mindless politics, ayan ayaw mag back track kahit na na kuryente na ang bibig... tsk tsk tsk... tapos yung mga spin doctors naman tuwang tuwa uto uto padin mga Pilipino....

nuong election napaka taas ng expectations kay Pnoy.. ngayon Presidente na biglang parang depensa tayo ng depensa sa lacking in performance neto.

ngeeee,:lol: mabilis namn gawin ang railways kesa subd. palusot dat com na namn mga KKK ni pnoy:lol::lol::lol:
Yeah, very true! Sot palu!

Tapos na nga yung investigation and De Jesus has suggested already the continuation of the Project dahil walang anomalya sa Project... What did the President do?:lol::lol::lol::lol:

:lol::lol::lol:nakipag date?:D sabi kasi priority nya yan, bago man lang daw sya bumaba sa puwesto ay may asawa na sya:rofl:

ows:D sige lusot ka na 20 years nga pala bago matapos yan:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:

mabilis pa nga yan di ba Noy:D

palusot ka na lang. dyan ka kasi magaling. wag kasi magsalita kung puro kabalbalan lang ang alam.

I think the President has the obligation to share to the public information of the projects that has been already investigated under his term and own people and found clean and free of anomalies under CGMA implementation. It's so unfair they're still correlating corruption issues like this just to nail someone with not that popular as him. The public deserves the truth! And also to the media people who has feasted this issue like hell for almost 8 years...

baka ma bore nanaman mga forumers dito hahaha away kayo ng away... suma total ng kwento palpak talaga etong Pnoy admin pag dating sa Northrail.... sayang ang oras natin lahat... magandang project pa naman yang NR.

palusot ka na lang. dyan ka kasi magaling. wag kasi magsalita kung puro kabalbalan lang ang alam.

anong kabalbalan sa sinabi ko?

kabalabalan ba na mabilis pa gawin ang subd kesa railways?

ikaw ang puro takip kay Noy:D

biro mo 5 years para sa inyo mabilis na p[ara sa pag gawa ng proyekto?:lol::lol::lol:

lampas nga IQ natin sa bubong:D sa kalokohan ginagamit:lol:

baka ma bore nanaman mga forumers dito hahaha away kayo ng away... suma total ng kwento palpak talaga etong Pnoy admin pag dating sa Northrail.... sayang ang oras natin lahat... magandang project pa naman yang NR.

:lol::lol::lol::lol: at bakit iblame mo si aquino. are you faulting him for everything that happened the last 10 years before he became president? :nuts:

kailan ba sinimulan ang northrail. kailan naging presidente si aquino. :lol:

Tapos na nga yung investigation and De Jesus has suggested already the continuation of the Project dahil walang anomalya sa Project... What did the President do?:lol::lol::lol::lol:

just wait for the announcement. patience is always a virtue.

anong kabalbalan sa sinabi ko?

kabalabalan ba na mabilis pa gawin ang subd kesa railways?

ikaw ang puro takip kay Noy:D

biro mo 5 years para sa inyo mabilis na p[ara sa pag gawa ng proyekto?:lol::lol::lol:

lampas nga IQ natin sa bubong:D sa kalokohan ginagamit:lol:

:lol::lol: nakahandle ka na ba ng infra project. :lol: sige nga.

conceptual master plan. detailed design and engineering. permits. value engineering.

ilan taon kaya gagawin yan.

ang 60 storey condo nga natatapos lang yan after 5 years or so.

sige nga, prove to us your expertise in infra projects at nasabi mong sobrang bagal ang 5 years. :lol:

ang 60 storey ay 60. ang bunagalow ay bungalow:D wag mo nga akong paglolokohin:D

railways?
60 storeys?

alin una matapos:D need ko pa ba maging Civil engineer para malaman?

wag mo na ilihis ang pinag usapan. :D

ano na nagyari sa NR?:D

mga 10 years kaya tapos na to? eh kasi sa example mo 5 years mabilis na:D

sabihin nyo lang di na kami kokontra:D yun lang talaga eh, ano ba magagawa namin eh di maghintay:D

:lol::lol::lol::lol: at bakit iblame mo si aquino. are you faulting him for everything that happened the last 10 years before he became president? :nuts:

kailan ba sinimulan ang northrail. kailan naging presidente si aquino. :lol:

I pano naman kasi pinaimbestigahan nya sa sarili nyang tauhan. Mabuti lang sana kung may nakuhang anomalya. Kaya walang dahilan ang Pangulo na hindi nya ito ipagpatuloy. Anyway, baka nga hindi naman talaga nya sinabing ihinto ang proyekto. Medya naman kasi ang nagiibento ng mga balita. Marami rami na ring ang mga balitang mga palpak at hindi tugma. :ohno::ohno::ohno:

Anyway with what is happening at DPWH... Saludo ako... totoo na may reporma.. walang duda..

for those who are growing impatient over those PPP's and infra projects, some updates from DOTC. :cheers:
and yea, it looks like all projects from the last admin have been cleared with some needing just a little restructuring and/or renegotiation of financial contracts, but other than that they all got the green light, with the majority to be bidded out this second half. :cheers:

Outgoing DoTC chief bares projects
By KRIS BAYOS
June 26, 2011, 5:09pm


MANILA, Philippines -- Outgoing Secretary Jose “Ping” de Jesus might have spent only a year at the Department of Transportation and Communications (DoTC) but it was not too short a time for him and his team to jump-start, and even finish, several projects in the transportation sector.

Proof is the fact that incoming Transportation and Communications Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II needed a series of briefing to be updated on the finished transportation-related projects and those still in the pipeline separately for the road, rail, aviation and maritime sectors.

Roxas will have his hands full of concerns starting July 1, beginning with transportation-related infrastructure projects that are set for implementation under the public-private partnership program of the Aquino administration.

During De Jesus’ administration of DoTC, bidding processes for the P15-billion contract to operate and maintain the Light Rail Transit (LRT) 1 and Metro Rail Transit (MRT) 3 and P1.5 billion contract to design and build the LRT-MRT Common Station in Quezon City have begun. At least 16 foreign and local firms have purchased bid documents for the LRT 1 and MRT 3 operation and maintenance contracts, while 10 contractors have expressed interest to bid for the LRT-MRT Common Station.

But because of the change in DoTC leadership, the special bids and awards committee (SBAC) facilitating the bid processes of the two contracts decided to suspend what it has started and wait for Roxas to review the undertaking and introduce his direction and input.

Once Roxas gives the green light for the two contracts’ bidding, it is expected that public biddings for the P1.72 billion contract to supply and maintain an automatic fare collection system for LRT and MRT by July, the P50 billion to construct the 12-kilometer extension of LRT 1 to Bacoor, Cavite by August, and the P10.8 billion to construct the four-kilometer extension of LRT 2 to Masinag, Antipolo by November, will start.

As for the aviation sector, the P4.5 billion contract to upgrade the Puerto Princesa Airport is scheduled for bidding by August; the P6.5 billion contract to develop Panglao Airport, the P4.3 billion contract to operate and maintain the Laguindingan Airport, and the P6.6 billion contract to develop the Daraga Airport simultaneously on October.

Privatization contracts for the ports of Davao, Iloilo, General Santos, Cagayan de Oro, and Zamboanga are also set for bidding, while those for the New Cebu Container Port and Cruise terminal is under study pending the completion of feasibility studies.

The planned Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems for Metro Cebu and Metro Manila, and proposed BRT for Makati and Northern Manila, are also under feasibility studies, just like the planned Manila Bay-Pasig River-Laguna Lake Ferry Service System. Also under feasibility reviews are the privatized upgrading of Laoag International Airport; de-velopment of the New Zamboanga International Airport and Alaminos Airport; and operation and maintenance of the Northrail, which will link Manila to Clark, Pampanga.

Upon his assumption as DoTC chief in July 2010, De Jesus’ first marching order to the department’s legal division is to review all contracts entered into by DoTC and its 14 attached agencies.

As De Jesus vacates his post this Thursday, the DoTC has cleared 126 contracts out of the 136 that were reviewed.

After a year of reviewing contracts, the De Jesus-led DoTC recommended the restructuring of the Northrail project scope of work and renegotiation with the Chinese contractor on financial details of the long-overdue infrastructure project. The DoTC also recommended the restructuring of project scope and renegotiation of contract for the Greater Maritime Access project of the previous administration, which involves the setting up of at least 70 modular ports nationwide.

The DoTC also recommended the termination of individual contracts of the Manila International Airport Authority and negotiated with Japanese firm Takenaka Corporation for the completion of the structural integrity tests for the Ninoy Aquino International Aiport Terminal 3, which the Department targets to be fully operational by next year.

http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/324316/outgoing-dotc-chief-bares-projects

so walang kinita pala si GMA?:D napatunayan na ba? talagang talaga?:D

for those who are growing impatient over those PPP's and infra projects, some updates from DOTC. :cheers:
and yea, it looks like all projects from the last admin have been cleared with some needing just a little restructuring and/or renegotiation of financial contracts, but other than that they all got the green light, with the majority to be bidded out this second half. :cheers:

Outgoing DoTC chief bares projects
By KRIS BAYOS
June 26, 2011, 5:09pm


MANILA, Philippines -- Outgoing Secretary Jose “Ping” de Jesus might have spent only a year at the Department of Transportation and Communications (DoTC) but it was not too short a time for him and his team to jump-start, and even finish, several projects in the transportation sector.

Proof is the fact that incoming Transportation and Communications Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II needed a series of briefing to be updated on the finished transportation-related projects and those still in the pipeline separately for the road, rail, aviation and maritime sectors.

Roxas will have his hands full of concerns starting July 1, beginning with transportation-related infrastructure projects that are set for implementation under the public-private partnership program of the Aquino administration.

During De Jesus’ administration of DoTC, bidding processes for the P15-billion contract to operate and maintain the Light Rail Transit (LRT) 1 and Metro Rail Transit (MRT) 3 and P1.5 billion contract to design and build the LRT-MRT Common Station in Quezon City have begun. At least 16 foreign and local firms have purchased bid documents for the LRT 1 and MRT 3 operation and maintenance contracts, while 10 contractors have expressed interest to bid for the LRT-MRT Common Station.

But because of the change in DoTC leadership, the special bids and awards committee (SBAC) facilitating the bid processes of the two contracts decided to suspend what it has started and wait for Roxas to review the undertaking and introduce his direction and input.

Once Roxas gives the green light for the two contracts’ bidding, it is expected that public biddings for the P1.72 billion contract to supply and maintain an automatic fare collection system for LRT and MRT by July, the P50 billion to construct the 12-kilometer extension of LRT 1 to Bacoor, Cavite by August, and the P10.8 billion to construct the four-kilometer extension of LRT 2 to Masinag, Antipolo by November, will start.

As for the aviation sector, the P4.5 billion contract to upgrade the Puerto Princesa Airport is scheduled for bidding by August; the P6.5 billion contract to develop Panglao Airport, the P4.3 billion contract to operate and maintain the Laguindingan Airport, and the P6.6 billion contract to develop the Daraga Airport simultaneously on October.

Privatization contracts for the ports of Davao, Iloilo, General Santos, Cagayan de Oro, and Zamboanga are also set for bidding, while those for the New Cebu Container Port and Cruise terminal is under study pending the completion of feasibility studies.

The planned Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems for Metro Cebu and Metro Manila, and proposed BRT for Makati and Northern Manila, are also under feasibility studies, just like the planned Manila Bay-Pasig River-Laguna Lake Ferry Service System. Also under feasibility reviews are the privatized upgrading of Laoag International Airport; de-velopment of the New Zamboanga International Airport and Alaminos Airport; and operation and maintenance of the Northrail, which will link Manila to Clark, Pampanga.

Upon his assumption as DoTC chief in July 2010, De Jesus’ first marching order to the department’s legal division is to review all contracts entered into by DoTC and its 14 attached agencies.

As De Jesus vacates his post this Thursday, the DoTC has cleared 126 contracts out of the 136 that were reviewed.

After a year of reviewing contracts, the De Jesus-led DoTC recommended the restructuring of the Northrail project scope of work and renegotiation with the Chinese contractor on financial details of the long-overdue infrastructure project. The DoTC also recommended the restructuring of project scope and renegotiation of contract for the Greater Maritime Access project of the previous administration, which involves the setting up of at least 70 modular ports nationwide.

The DoTC also recommended the termination of individual contracts of the Manila International Airport Authority and negotiated with Japanese firm Takenaka Corporation for the completion of the structural integrity tests for the Ninoy Aquino International Aiport Terminal 3, which the Department targets to be fully operational by next year.

http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/324316/outgoing-dotc-chief-bares-projects
:cheers:

ang 60 storey ay 60. ang bunagalow ay bungalow:D wag mo nga akong paglolokohin:D

railways?
60 storeys?

alin una matapos:D need ko pa ba maging Civil engineer para malaman?

:lol::lol::lol: oh fuick! :lol::lol:, regardless of the type of project, marailway, macondo, they all follow the same project process.

site analysis, survey, acquisition, design, implementation etc. etc.

railway alignment pa lang madugo na eh. design ng stations etc. etc. kasi hindi lahat stations pareho pareho.

riding the MRT should have taught you that. :lol:

Amigo - wag mo pag aksayahan ng oras yang si Easter Dragon. mahilig yan mag hanap ng away sa forum at mag magaling....

ED - kaya namin sinisisi si Pnoy, eh siya nag pa hinto ng project diba.. sino sisihin ko dahil hindi matuloy tuloy ang northrail si Erap?

now that some of you brought up the issue on debt incurred by TESDA giving out all those scholarships in the last Arroyo admin, i just wonder could this CCT dole out program whose budget has been almost doubled for next year, also translate to more debt for the gov't? :)

Spending hikes questioned
Posted on June 26, 2011 11:40:12 PM
BY DIANE CLAIRE J. JIAO, Reporter


PROPOSED spending increases in the 2012 national budget, including that for social services and the conditional cash transfer (CCT) program, are up for review as the government prepares to submit the outlay to Congress next month.

Budget Secretary Florencio B. Abad said that President Benigno S. C. Aquino III, during last week’s presentation of the 2012 proposal, wanted to ensure the government would get the most out of its expenditures.

"The President wanted a justification for the budget increases of agencies," Mr. Abad told BusinessWorld on Thursday. "It’s not so much about capping the budget increases, but questioning whether we are investing in the proper and necessary things."

Mr. Aquino held off from approving the 2012 budget last week and Mr. Abad said the issues raised would be discussed with concerned departments during a Cabinet meeting this Wednesday.

"The president’s questions about the budget assumptions and the numbers in the agency budgets were already answered by the DBM (Department of Budget and Management). The meeting on the 29th will focus on the government’s policy direction," he said.

The Social Welfare department’s CCT program -- which involves allowances for poor households provided that mothers avail of health care and children attend school -- had threatened to hold up approval of this year’s budget as the allocation was nearly doubled to P21.9 billion from 2010’s P12 billion. Legislators, however, still gave their consent before the end of last year, marking the first time in over a decade that the budget bill was passed in the same year it was submitted to Congress.

The proposed CCT budget for 2012 is P35 billion, which Mr. Abad said would benefit some 700,000 households that would be added to the current 2.3 million beneficiaries.

"The president wants to make sure the 700,000 [new beneficiaries] is the right outcome of the P35-billion budget," he said, adding that this year’s outlay could also be increased marginally to P23 billion via the reallocation of funds not be used fast enough by other government departments.

Other concerns

Mr. Abad said next year’s social services and infrastructure allocations of over P500 billion and P400 billion, respectively, were also questioned by Mr. Aquino.

"The president asked, ‘Do we have enough doctors and nurses for the number of health care centers we are investing in? Do we have enough teachers for our schools?’," the budget chief said.

Mr. Aquino was said to have pressed for investments in airports, describing tourism as a "low-hanging fruit."

Another initiative that was subjected to scrutiny was the Agriculture department’s National Rice Program. Mr. Abad said the president questioned the target hectarage and whether this would be matched by investments in irrigation.

A total of P5.217 billion was allocated this year for the rice program, which is aimed at allowing the country to achieve production self-sufficiency.

A planned budget increase for the Defense department was also studied by Mr. Aquino, Mr. Abad said. The government is reportedly considering a multiyear, multibillion-peso upgrade for the military in light of rising tensions in disputed waters west of the Philippines.

Mr. Abad expressed optimism the proposed 2012 budget would be approved swiftly, noting that overall Mr. Aquino seemed in agreement with much of the expenditure plan.

The 2012 national budget -- the government’s proposal is scheduled to be presented to Congress on July 27 -- will be the first to be fully prepared, enacted and implemented under the Aquino administration.

Mr. Abad said a final budget figure was not set during last week’s briefing, adding: "We will discuss the budget ceiling during the Cabinet meeting. The Department of Finance will explain how much we can support through revenues and borrowing."

The budget chief has said that next year’s outlay could be 8-12% higher than this year’s P1.645 trillion. He said it could hit P1.84 trillion if accommodated by the approved fiscal deficit cap of P270 billion or 2.6% of gross domestic product (GDP).

Increase "acceptable"

Economists, meanwhile, said the planned 8-12% increase in the 2012 budget, along with focused spending, would be enough to support the government’s goal of sustained economic development.

"This is an acceptable increase since the government is targeting to achieve a sustained growth rate ... It would be difficult to achieve or come close to these targets if the budget would rise by less than 8%," University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P) economist Cid L. Terosa said in an e-mail.

Along with the deficit cap of P270 billion, the interagency Development Budget Coordination Committee has set a GDP growth assumption of 5.5-6.5% for next year’s target, although the "fighting" goal is 7-8%.

Analysts said there should be greater appropriation for social services and physical infrastructure that have long-term effects in contrast to outlays such as CCTs.

Leonor M. Briones, national treasurer during the Estrada administration and now professor of public administration at the University of the Philippines (UP), expressed reservations over the continuation of the CCT program.

"The CCT does not cover the whole population. It is not the solution to poverty. The government should focus on job creation by increased funding in education, agriculture and infrastructure projects," she said.

UP economist Benjamin E. Diokno, Budget chief during the Estrada government, said in a separate e-mail: "I hope the 2012 budget will set aside a bigger chunk for hard infrastructure such as roads, bridges, water systems, ports and airports (as opposed to simply capital outlays which may include new buildings, plush executive offices, new SUV cars, etc). The support for the expanded and better quality basic education system should be beefed up."

These may not be achieved unless tax revenues improve significantly, UA&P economist Victor A. Abola said, adding: "It would help if they pass higher sin taxes, new tax on luxury items, e.g., Porsches, BMWs, second/third homes, etc."

Aside from increased social services spending, the economists also proposed the streamlining of the bureaucracy.

"There should be a moratorium on hiring of new personnel except for teachers, nurses, health workers, and replacement of retiring one-of-a-kind posts. It might be a good idea to limit the number of executive positions (assistant and under secretaries) to those authorized in the 1987 Revised Administrative Code," Mr. Diokno said. -- with a report from N. M. Gonzales

http://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?section=TopStory&title=Spending-hikes-questioned&id=33741

CCT is dole out money...... for sure me debt burden yan kasi wala naman return yang pera na yan unless yung poor na nakatanggap niyan biglang maging productive at mag create ng capital......

Capital investments lang ang meron capability to make returns and reduce debt burden... in financial terms, NPV for capital investments... Yung CCT consumption expenditure yan so after magastos wala ng benefit.

CCT is dole out money...... for sure me debt burden yan kasi wala naman return yang pera na yan unless yung poor na nakatanggap niyan biglang maging productive at mag create ng capital......

Capital investments lang ang meron capability to make returns and reduce debt burden... in financial terms, NPV for capital investments... Yung CCT consumption expenditure yan so after magastos wala ng benefit.

dole out. burden. much better if you look at the headlines of inq online now. :lol:

:lol::lol::lol: oh fuick! :lol::lol:, regardless of the type of project, marailway, macondo, they all follow the same project process.

site analysis, survey, acquisition, design, implementation etc. etc.

railway alignment pa lang madugo na eh. design ng stations etc. etc. kasi hindi lahat stations pareho pareho.

riding the MRT should have taught you that. :lol:
ok fine:D. sige tanggap na namin na ganun katagal:D yung MRT7 baka may mali doon, kasi target nila one year laang:D dapat 5 years yun:D minimum:D

shat da pak ap:D ka na lang, para kay Noy namn ginawa mo eh, understandable namn

sabi nga diyos ix, mahilig ka sa metal cladding:D:lol:

ok fine:D. sige tanggap na namin na ganun katagal:D yung MRT7 baka may mali doon, kasi target nila one year laang:D dapat 5 years yun:D minimum:D

shat da pak ap:D ka na lang, para kay Noy namn ginawa mo eh, understandable namn

sabi nga diyos ix, mahilig ka sa metal cladding:D:lol:

:lol::lol: aw, butthurt. talaga, ang mrt7 ay one year target lang. :lol::lol:

or guni guni mo nanaman yan. :nuts:

:lol::lol: aw, butthurt. talaga, ang mrt7 ay one year target lang. :lol::lol:

or guni guni mo nanaman yan. :nuts:

Commercial operation of the Balintawak station started in March last year while the Roosevelt station was put on stream in the last quarter of 2010. But the construction of a common station in front of SM Annex for LRT Line 1 Extension, Metro Rail Transit (MRT) 3 and the proposed MRT 7 has not started. This was supposed to have commenced in the first quarter of this year and completed by the first quarter of 2012, but it’s already April and there’s no visible sign of any construction activity in the area. Thus, the targeted closing of the loop by early next year may not happen.
http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/home/opinion/10088-lrt-mrt-loop-completion-should-be-fast-tracked-
:lol::lol::lol::lol:

for the closed-minded nationalists, some lessons from Brazil's economic miracle. :cheers:
what was that article that was posted here a few months ago suggesting that we should be cautious in opening up our land to foreign investments and ownership because of fear of foreign intrusion citing Brazil's experience? well obviously that fear is unfounded as this article speaks of a totally different experience for Brazil. can you imagine at least 20 million poor Brazilians pulled from extreme poverty in a matter of a few years? So enough politicking and start reforming, starting with the outdated protectionist economic laws of the 1987 constitution :cheers::cheers:

Learning from the Brazilian Experience
Business Buddies
By ANDREW JAMES MASIGAN
June 27, 2011, 1:02am


MANILA, Philippines — We Filipinos have more in common with our Brazilian brothers than we may realize. As a people, we both have a predisposition to laugh at our situations, however desperate. We live life for the moment and have an innate ability to sing and dance at the drop of a hat. We love to over-dramatize our lives and at our core, we are both religious.

For much of the last century, Brazil has been known as the country with the greatest potential given its huge market of nearly 200 million people and astounding natural resources. Yet, it has consistently underachieved. Brazil has been a victim of its own ineptitude, corruption and penchant for procrastination. Sound familiar? Yes, we have those in common, too.

But the Brazil of today is a completely different nation from what it was before the turn of the century. It now has its act together and managed to stage one of the most dramatic economic turnarounds in recent history.

The Brazilian experience shows that with an ambitious and focused leadership coupled with political will that does not succumb to political or personal expediencies, a complete economic transformation can be achieved in as short as 12 years! As a Filipino, this gives me hope that in my lifetime, I can still witness the rise of our country to its fullest potential.

A Quick Look-back

The ’90s was probably the most turbulent era in Brazilian economic history. For more than a decade, the Brazilian government spent more than it earned and plugged the hole by borrowing more. Its national debt reached a whopping US$244 billion in 1998, and it was no longer capable of servicing the interest, let alone its principal payments falling due.

Brazil showed the symptoms of a damaged economy all throughout the ’90s. The real (its currency) rode a steady slope of devaluation while crippling inflation of up to 3000 percent drove prices of basic commodities through the roof. This pushed many Brazilians deeper into poverty. Unemployment, hunger and crime rates were at a historical high.

Between 1997 and 1998, the government practically depleted its monetary reserves as it struggled to service its debts and defend its currency from further devaluation. To make matters worse, more than US$38 billion flew out of the country as big business and the elite moved their wealth out of Brazil and into safer havens.

It was a complete financial meltdown. Left without a choice, Brazil approached the International Monetary Fund with hat in hand for a rescue package. The IMF came across with US$41.5 billion in fresh loans (the biggest rescue package at that time) to save the Brazilian economy from imploding on itself.

Fast-forward to 2011

Brazil is now an economic powerhouse. Once the world’s basket case, Brazil has emerged as the 7th largest economy on the planet and plowing forward with 7.5 percent growth amid an ever-increasing base. Its people have become more affluent, too. Each Brazilian household earns an average income of US$10,400 a year (Filipino average income is US$2,100 a year).

Brazil has also become an agricultural superpower. They are the world’s second biggest food manufacturer and the largest producer of beef, chicken, coffee and orange concentrates. In industry, they are the world’s 3rd biggest manufacturer of aircrafts and shipping vessels, and one of the largest exporters of iron ore, copper and bio-fuels.

In 2005, Brazil paid its obligations to the IMF, three years ahead of schedule. From the world’s biggest borrower, it has become a lender to countries in need.

Brazil has definitely arrived. It is making its debut as a world power by hosting both the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics.

How They Did It

The man behind Brazil’s economic miracle is two-term President Luis Inacio da Silva, or “Lula” as everyone calls him. Lula dropped out of school when he was in the 4th grade.

When asked by an American reporter what the secret to his success was, Lula replied: “The success of any public official is to do what is obvious, what everyone knows needs to be done.”

The solutions to a nation’s woes are often the most basic fundamentals of good governance. Public officials who succeed are those with a single-minded resolve to do what needs to be done, however difficult. For countries like Brazil and the Philippines, it is installing investment-friendly economic laws, strengthening the institutions of governance (e.g. the justice system, the bureaucracy, etc.) and making quick decisions on pressing issues.

President Lula aimed high for his country and got everyone on the same page by clearly articulating how he was going to achieve it. With this, he got the Brazilian legislature to support his controversial reform program.

First on President Lula’s agenda was to open up the country to foreign businesses. He did this by amending the restrictive constitutional laws that prevented foreign enterprises from entering Brazil. This single act opened the floodgates of foreign investments, giving it the hard currency to fund its infrastructure and reforms program.

Lula went further by asking the legislature to grant him the power to decide on deadlocked issues…a request that was also granted. Deadlocks on vital national issues have always been the stumbling block for fledgling democracies like Brazil and the Philippines. Lula’s move gave him the authority to override the bureaucracy when it bogged down, and this allowed Brazil to be decisive, responsive and quick in reform.

In his first year in office, Lula beefed up its national revenues by simplifying the tax system, tightened up banking regulations and launched a “Buy Brazil” campaign to save on dollar outflows and give local manufacturers economies of scale. He also launched a no-nonsense assault against crime by harnessing the full force of the military and overhauled the education system to improve the analytical skills of the youth.

Lula’s reforms ushered in a new era of economic stability and with it came even more investments. New money infused into the Brazilian economy reached US$43.3 billion between 2003 to 2005. Nearly two million new jobs were generated every year!

In 2005, Lula launched the Programa Aceleracao do Crescimento (PAC) or Growth Acceleration Program to enable Brazil to absorb even more investments in its manufacturing, service and agricultural sectors. The plan called for the massive modernization of the country’s infrastructure and the integration of the formerly secluded sector of favelos (shanty town dwellers) into its workforce. The result: another US$173 billion of foreign money pumped into the system between 2005 and 2010!

Amidst all this, Lula played the role as the people’s greatest cheerleader, constantly impressing upon them that they have what it takes to achieve the national dream. He was once quoted as saying (not verbatim): “I make the people believe in themselves…to prove that Brazilians are not second class citizens of the world…When they believe in themselves, the world will, too.”

France’s Charles De Gaulle once said, Brazil was not a “serious country.” He must be turning in his grave as Brazil’s GDP is forecasted to overtake that of France within this decade. As a Filipino, I dream of having the same poetic justice to all those who called us the “sick man of Asia.”

Andrew is an economist, political analyst and businessman. He is a 20-year veteran in the hospitality and tourism industry. For comments and reactions, e-mail andrew_rs6@yahoo.com

http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/324352/learning-brazilian-experience

Just one question re that post on the Brazil phenomenon: "Do our leaders have the balls to do it and replicate what Brazil did?"

Commercial operation of the Balintawak station started in March last year while the Roosevelt station was put on stream in the last quarter of 2010. But the construction of a common station in front of SM Annex for LRT Line 1 Extension, Metro Rail Transit (MRT) 3 and the proposed MRT 7 has not started. This was supposed to have commenced in the first quarter of this year and completed by the first quarter of 2012, but it’s already April and there’s no visible sign of any construction activity in the area. Thus, the targeted closing of the loop by early next year may not happen.
http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/home/opinion/10088-lrt-mrt-loop-completion-should-be-fast-tracked-
:lol::lol::lol::lol:

and you took it hook line and sinker. :lol::lol::lol:, clearly idiotic since your only basis is a newspaper article. kung tanungin mo ang mga reporters na yan, they wouldn't know the difference between a cantilever and a caterpillar.

:lol::lol::lol:

dude, you don't get a project sched based on second hand info. and also, the newspaper mentioned implementation, it does not include the pre-planning, planning and approval stage. :lol::lol::lol:

kasi implementation, sometimes 1/2 or even 1/3 lang ng total project life yan. :lol::lol::lol:

elementary level analysis. :lol::lol:

dole out. burden. much better if you look at the headlines of inq online now. :lol:

Eto bumulaga sa akin from INQ.... :lol:

kelangan magpunta uli sila sa Hongkong para ayusin ang leek..... I mean leeg... :D

Gloria Arroyo left P4-B debt, says PCSO (http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/18365/gloria-arroyo-left-p4-b-debt-says-pcso)

Officials expose spurious media contracts, bogus medical claims
By Gil C. Cabacungan Jr.
Philippine Daily Inquirer
1:19 am | Monday, June 27th, 2011

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/files/2011/06/Gloria-Macapagal-Arroyo-300x200.jpg

Eto bumulaga sa akin from INQ.... :lol:

kelangan magpunta uli sila sa Hongkong para ayusin ang leek..... I mean leeg... :D

Gloria Arroyo left P4-B debt, says PCSO (http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/18365/gloria-arroyo-left-p4-b-debt-says-pcso)

Officials expose spurious media contracts, bogus medical claims
By Gil C. Cabacungan Jr.
Philippine Daily Inquirer
1:19 am | Monday, June 27th, 2011

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/files/2011/06/Gloria-Macapagal-Arroyo-300x200.jpg


Mukhang pumayat si Ate Glo. Baka siningil na ng mga Instsik. 7 isla + Reed Bank diba? :D

and you took it hook line and sinker. :lol::lol::lol:, clearly idiotic since your only basis is a newspaper article. kung tanungin mo ang mga reporters na yan, they wouldn't know the difference between a cantilever and a caterpillar.

:lol::lol::lol:

dude, you don't get a project sched based on second hand info. and also, the newspaper mentioned implementation, it does not include the pre-planning, planning and approval stage. :lol::lol::lol:

kasi implementation, sometimes 1/2 or even 1/3 lang ng total project life yan. :lol::lol::lol:

elementary level analysis. :lol::lol:
sige mali na yung news paper na yun, lusot ka doon.
o ito malayo pa rin sa 5 years na sinasabi mo
ayusin mo ha, baka masyang lang yung IQ mo lampas bubong:D:lol::lol::lol:

http://www.gmanews.tv/story/185330/san-miguel-eyes-major-stake-in-mrt-7-project

sige mali na yung news paper na yun, lusot ka doon.
o ito malayo pa rin sa 5 years na sinasabi mo
ayusin mo ha, baka masyang lang yung IQ mo lampas bubong:D:lol::lol::lol:

http://www.gmanews.tv/story/185330/san-miguel-eyes-major-stake-in-mrt-7-project

Aruyyy! 3 and 1/2 years of construction!>5 years? Mali pa rin siguro ang gmanews.tv 'dre! Hanap pa ng ibang pahayagan na akma sa sabi nya, please!

matanong nga yung civil engineer kong kapatid kung totoong ganun katagal gumawa ng bahay, este 60 storey building:D ay bungalow pala:D

pero baka true namn, hanap pa nga tayo sa ABS namn baka mag match doon:D

sige mali na yung news paper na yun, lusot ka doon.
o ito malayo pa rin sa 5 years na sinasabi mo
ayusin mo ha, baka masyang lang yung IQ mo lampas bubong:D:lol::lol::lol:

http://www.gmanews.tv/story/185330/san-miguel-eyes-major-stake-in-mrt-7-project

:lol::lol: iq knows no bounds. the point is, your initial claim that it is only 1 year is bullshit. :lol::lol:

3.5 years construction. note construction=implementation. iwork back mo ang pre planning, planning at approval.

check mo kung hindi aabot ng 5 taon yan.

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/business/11/10/10/proponent-mrt-7-project-buys-out-republic-glass-unit

ayan abs cbn na yan, basahin mo, english eh di ko masyado naiintindihan:D pero mukhang 3.5 years pa rin:D ang paggawa ng MRT7:D malayo sa 5 years mo:D
siguro dahil sa delay ni pnoy aabot nga ng 10 years yan:D

bullshit ba?

di ako nag claim nyan, ayan news paper, pero sabi mo hindi kapanipaniwalang news source yan kaya naghanap ako ng iba.

point?

oo
point.


na hindi totoo yang sinasabi mo na 5 years minimum ang mga proyekto, ke malaki o maliit na proyekto. gusto mo lang kasi ilusot ang boss mo eh, metal cladding nga daw sabi ni diyos x. :D

Aruyyy! 3 and 1/2 years of construction!>5 years? Mali pa rin siguro ang gmanews.tv 'dre! Hanap pa ng ibang pahayagan na akma sa sabi nya, please!

isa pa to. how is your professor?

when was mrt 7 presented by dotc and given the green light for swiss challenge.

di ba 2007? when expected macomplete? di ba 2012.

subtract mo daw 12-7. ano answer?:lol:

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/business/11/10/10/proponent-mrt-7-project-buys-out-republic-glass-unit

ayan abs cbn na yan, basahin mo, english eh di ko masyado naiintindihan:D pero mukhang 3.5 years pa rin:D ang paggawa ng MRT7:D malayo sa 5 years mo:D
siguro dahil sa delay ni pnoy aabot nga ng 10 years yan:D

bullshit ba?

di ako nag claim nyan, ayan news paper, pero sabi mo hindi kapanipaniwalang news source yan kaya naghanap ako ng iba.

point?

oo
point.


na hindi totoo yang sinasabi mo na 5 years minimum ang mga proyekto, ke malaki o maliit na proyekto. gusto mo lang kasi ilusot ang boss mo eh, metal cladding nga daw sabi ni diyos x. :D


MRT 7 seen completed in ’14


By Paolo Montecillo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 21:40:00 05/05/2011

Filed Under: Railway, Road Transport, Infrastructure, Investments


MANILA, Philippines—Conglomerate San Miguel Corp. (SMC) expects to complete two of its big-ticket infrastructure projects—the MRT 7 train line and a new highway to La Union—by 2014 and 2015, respectively.

ang news mo last year pa, ayan oh. statement from san miguel last month.

sa 2014 na expected ang completion. :lol::lol::lol:

kasi nga kakaimbestiga ng boss mo:D

dapat mabilis matapos yan, kahit walang problema dahil inumpisahan ng duwende, imbestiga ng imbestiga:D

di ba amfufu ng boss mo:D

kasi, salita ng salita, wala man lang experience handling infra.

1 year lang pala tatapusing ang 20+ kilometers ng mrt 7 ha. :nuts::nuts::nuts::lol:

kasi nga kakaimbestiga ng boss mo:D

dapat mabilis matapos yan, kahit walang problema dahil inumpisahan ng duwende, imbestiga ng imbestiga:D

di ba amfufu ng boss mo:D

yes sir. one year to complete 20+ kilometers of mrt 7. :lol::lol::lol:

tsaka hindi because of delay ni aquino yan, smc decided to buy out their partner late last year kaya nadelay ang implementation nyan. :lol::lol::lol:

ang tanga nga namn ng news paper na yun:D
bakit kaya di na lang sila kumuha ng mga civil engineer magsulat sa kolum na yun:D

dapat alam nila na minimum 5 years ang paggawa ng proyekto:D napahiya tuloy sila sa 1 year na yun:D

ang tanga nga namn ng news paper na yun:D
bakit kaya di na lang sila kumuha ng mga civil engineer magsulat sa kolum na yun:D

dapat alam nila na minimum 5 years ang paggawa ng proyekto:D napahiya tuloy sila sa 1 year na yun:D


:lol::lol::cheers::cheers:

kaya kasi, wag magsalita na parang expert kung hindi ka man lang well versed sa pinag-uusapan.

gamitin ang kokote. common sense kasi. 20+ kilometers of railway, tatapusin in 1 year. :lol::lol:

Eto bumulaga sa akin from INQ.... :lol:

kelangan magpunta uli sila sa Hongkong para ayusin ang leek..... I mean leeg... :D

Gloria Arroyo left P4-B debt, says PCSO (http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/18365/gloria-arroyo-left-p4-b-debt-says-pcso)

Officials expose spurious media contracts, bogus medical claims
By Gil C. Cabacungan Jr.
Philippine Daily Inquirer
1:19 am | Monday, June 27th, 2011

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/files/2011/06/Gloria-Macapagal-Arroyo-300x200.jpg

well, you got to hand it to s40. he had a very good example on how not to use cct and doleouts=debts.

:lol::lol::cheers::cheers:

kaya kasi, wag magsalita na parang expert kung hindi ka man lang well versed sa pinag-uusapan.

gamitin ang kokote. common sense kasi. 20+ kilometers of railway, tatapusin in 1 year. :lol::lol:

tangek, bakit news paper nga nagsabi noon, kumpara sa 5 years mo anglayo, kasi pantakip mo lang yan sa Boss mo:lol::lol:

tangek, bakit news paper nga nagsabi noon, kumpara sa 5 years mo anglayo, kasi pantakip mo lang yan sa Boss mo:lol::lol:

hindi mo man kasi ginamit ang kokote mo. dapat inalam mo man lang na 20+ kilometers yan.

that alone should tell you that a 1 year construction period claim is way way off.

as if hindi nagkakamali ang newspaper. icrosscheck mo din kasi sa mga corporate websites. :lol::lol:

5 years malayo?

when was the contract to ulc awarded. di ba 2009? when is it expected to be completed 2014.

14-9=?????

akala ko ba walang kinalaman ang laki ng proyekto mahaba man o maiksi 5 years pa rin, ayusin mo ha, IQ mo sayang:D

buti pa yung agas-agas bridge November 2006, natapos Aug 2009. Buti na lang di inabot ni Noy yun, kung nagkataon aabutin pa ng 5 years minimum yun:D

akala ko ba walang kinalaman ang laki ng proyekto mahaba man o maiksi 5 years pa rin, ayusin mo ha, IQ mo sayang:D

:lol: palusot pa kasi ng palusot.

i said "type of project".

hindi size of project. or mahaba man or maiksi. :lol::lol::lol:

gain 5 years of project management and come back here. :):)

para magkaroon ka ng a little credibility.

:lol: palusot pa kasi ng palusot.

i said "type of project".

hindi size of project. or mahaba man or maiksi. :lol::lol::lol:

gain 5 years of project management and come back here. :):)

para magkaroon ka ng a little credibility.

di nakailangan dahil ang tinatanong ko lang namn gaano katagal ang proyekto matapos, pinagtakpan mo agad ang presidentita:lol::lol::lol:

kaya ikaw wag kainin ang mga bakal bakal pag walang magawa sa construction site ha:D:lol::lol::lol:

di nakailangan dahil ang tinatanong ko lang namn gaano katagal ang proyekto matapos, pinagtakpan mo agad ang presidentita:lol::lol::lol:

kaya ikaw wag kainin ang mga bakal bakal pag walang magawa sa construction site ha:D:lol::lol::lol:

:lol::lol::lol:.

yes sir. mr. we-can-construct-mrt7-in-a-year sir.

aye aye sir. :lol::lol::lol:

and you took it hook line and sinker. :lol::lol::lol:, clearly idiotic since your only basis is a newspaper article. kung tanungin mo ang mga reporters na yan, they wouldn't know the difference between a cantilever and a caterpillar.


just like how your president doesn't know the difference between northrail and the linkage project...:lol::nuts: kaninong alipores nya kaya nakuha ung mali maling info na yun...:lol:

di nakailangan dahil ang tinatanong ko lang namn gaano katagal ang proyekto matapos, pinagtakpan mo agad ang presidentita:lol::lol::lol:

kaya ikaw wag kainin ang mga bakal bakal pag walang magawa sa construction site ha:D:lol::lol::lol:

Hahahahahaha! Pwede ba yun? Kainin yung mga bakal bakal? Ang akala kasi siya lang ang may alam, kaya yan, di lang bakal, crows pa!

:lol::lol::lol:.

yes sir. mr. we-can-construct-mrt7-in-a-year sir.

aye aye sir. :lol::lol::lol:

good:D

at turuan mo presidentita natin ha, paaralin mo ng CE para di magmukhang tanga:D

medyo mahina rin yun, share mo na lang utak mo sobra kasi utak mo eh:D:lol::lol::lol:

Hahahahahaha! Pwede ba yun? Kainin yung mga bakal bakal? Ang akala kasi siya lang ang may alam, kaya yan, di lang bakal, crows pa!

:lol::nuts:. i have so many things to learn.

seriously, life is one quest for knowledge.

just not from your professor please.

phi-is espousing human development index right.

crystal. :lol:

MRT7 construction = 1 year WTF!

Good news muna..:cheers::cheers:


DTI, industries back anti-competition bill



By BERNIE CAHILES-MAGKILAT
June 27, 2011, 1:22am
Manila Bulletin


MANILA, Philippines — Domestic manufacturers and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) are one in pushing for the passage of anti-competition bill into law stressing there are many forms of anti-competition practices that need thorough study to level the playing field and encourage more investments.

Trade and Industry Secretary Gregory L. Domingo and Jesus L. Arranza, chairman of the Federation of Philippine Industries, have rallied behind Senate Bill No. 1 or the “Competition Act” of Senator Juan Ponce Enrile.

“We are for it,” Domingo said.

Domingo said that if a Competition Commission is created, there should be a need for a concurrence of two departments the DTI, National Economic Development Authority or the Department of Justice or a combination for check and balance on decisions made on particular complaint of anti-competitive behavior.

If there would be no Competition Commission, Domingo said then the DoJ would be the primary investigative body.

Earlier, Malacañang issued Executive Order 45 designating the DoJ as the Competition Authority. The issuance of the EO was timely considering the opposition of the country’s second biggest telco company, Globe Telecommunications of the Ayala Group against the acquisition of Digital Telecommunications, the country’s third largest telco player, by Philippine Long Distance Co. (PLDT), the country’s biggest telco company.

Globe has urged the government to protect and maintain free competition in the market by ensuring a level playing field that will allow consumers to choose the best services and give telco providers equal opportunities to compete.

Globe believes that the merger will result in an imbalance in market share and scarce frequency resources that will affect free competition and services to millions of subscribers, among others.

According to Domingo, the DTI will continue its role in business and the industry as the information source for business practices, business relationship and impact on business environment.

For its part, the FPI, which is comprised of domestic industry associations, has been in the forefront in putting the interest of domestic industries and promotion of fair trade practices.

“There are various kinds of unfair trade practices and these should be studied by the DoJ and see if there are elements of anti-competitive behavior,” said Arranza.

According to Arranza, a good indicator of competition going on among industry players is when companies engage in promotions of their products and services.

“But if industry players announce their price and talk as an association that is a good indication of a cartel operation going on,” Arranza said.

Arranza does not want to specify which industries are prone to anti-competitive tendencies.

It could be recalled that Arranza personally initiated a case for cartelization before the DoJ against the officers of the LPG Marketers Association (LPGMA) headed by Arnel Ty.

Arranza filed this case on the ground that LPGMA discussed among themselves the pricing of their commodity and used as evidenced the same documents, which LPGMA submitted to the Commission on Elections for its party-list registration.

Arranza strongly believed that prosecuting monopolies and combinations that restraint trade would necessarily promote competition, level the playing field in the market, and ultimately inure to the benefit of the consumers.

Senate Bill No. 1 or the "Competition Act of 2010" is anchored on the constitutional mandate that "the State shall regulate or prohibit monopolies when the public interest so requires and that no combinations in restraint of trade or unfair competition shall be allowed."

another kapalpakan by.....EEEEEE

Eto bumulaga sa akin from INQ.... :lol:

kelangan magpunta uli sila sa Hongkong para ayusin ang leek..... I mean leeg... :D

Gloria Arroyo left P4-B debt, says PCSO (http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/18365/gloria-arroyo-left-p4-b-debt-says-pcso)

Officials expose spurious media contracts, bogus medical claims
By Gil C. Cabacungan Jr.
Philippine Daily Inquirer
1:19 am | Monday, June 27th, 2011

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/files/2011/06/Gloria-Macapagal-Arroyo-300x200.jpg

Nagpapahaba ng leeg??? Parang sa tibet ba yon o Indensia or something na nagsosoot ng layers of rings para humaba ang leeg dahil regal tignan at PAMPADAGDAG ng height???:lol::lol::lol:
Pero mukha yatang naging slender , bumata at gumanda si ate Glue sa mga latest pics niya Vicky Belo kaya yan??he he

Baka naman kaya pupunta ng HK para ma deposit ng alepores niya sa secret account niya ang mga ninakaw nuon pera :lol:

very early in the morning on my way to pangasinan...there were soldiers na nakatambay na parang nagbabantay sa NLEX is there something happening that we do not know of?.....

Nagpapahaba ng leeg??? Parang sa tibet ba yon o Indensia or something na nagsosoot ng layers of rings para humaba ang leeg dahil regal tignan at PAMPADAGDAG ng height???:lol::lol::lol:
Pero mukha yatang naging slender , bumata at gumanda si ate Glue sa mga latest pics niya Vicky Belo kaya yan??he he

Baka naman kaya pupunta ng HK para ma deposit ng alepores niya sa secret account niya ang mga ninakaw nuon pera :lol:

cambodian women

http://normarnold.info/Thailand%20and%20Cambodia%202004_files/image010.jpg

nagkakadagdag sya ng height :lol:

Not sure if this is already posted...

SMC unveils airport, eyes new deals (http://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?section=TopStory&title=SMC-unveils-airport,-eyes-new-deals&id=33736)

DIVERSIFIED conglomerate San Miguel Corp. is interested in bidding for three airline infrastructure projects under the government’s public-private partnership (PPP) scheme.

The firm during the weekend inaugurated the partially redeveloped Caticlan airport in Aklan and President Benigno S. C. Aquino III, in a keynote speech, noted that other airport projects in the provinces of Bohol, Puerta Princesa and the Caraga region had been included in the centerpiece infrastructure program.

===============
This is a welcome development! Private companies are now aggressively investing sa mga infrastructures. :cheers:

cambodian women

http://normarnold.info/Thailand%20and%20Cambodia%202004_files/image010.jpg

nagkakadagdag sya ng height :lol:

Burmese po yan sir.


Specifically Padaung women sa Burma (may iilan ding naligaw sa Thailand).

MRT7 construction = 1 year WTF!

:lol::lol::lol:

WTO rules against Philippines' spirits tax -sources (http://www.cnbc.com/id/43548009)
Published: Monday, 27 Jun 2011 | 10:12 AM ET

BRUSSELS, June 27 (Reuters) - Taxes levied by the Philippines on alcoholic drinks from the European Union and United States are illegal under global trade rules, the world's trade dispute body ruled on Monday, according to sources close to the case. In a confidential report circulated to the parties involved in the dispute, a legal panel at the World Trade Organization ruled the Philippines' spirits taxes discriminate against brands such as Jack Daniel's and Jim Beam as well as Spain's Brandy de Jerez, while favouring domestic producers catering for the Asian archipelago's $3 billion spirits market, the sources said. The ruling will be made public in August. (Reporting by Juliane von Reppert-Bismarck; Editing by Rex Merrifield)

Creative industry exports growing 50% (http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/324492/creative-industry-exports-growing-50)
By EDU LOPEZ
June 28, 2011, 12:03am

MANILA, Philippines — Exports of creative industry products and services are expected to increase by 50 percent in the next three to four years from 10 to 15 percent, as most sectors will be aggressive in driving the sector's growth.

Cesar S. Tolentino, competitive intelligence research consultant and industry analyst, said the bigger components of the creative industries were growing by more than 10 percent per year from 1999 to 2008.

These industry produces and services include game development, independent film, music products and television programming.

Tolentino cited the game development industry which is generating an annual growth rate of more than 50 percent. Its revenues were estimated to have reached more than $9 million last year and projected to reach around $14 million by end of 2011.

"Probably it cannot overtake the business process outsourcing (BPO) call centers but definitely beyond five years, it is possible for the video game industry to catch up in terms of revenues and contribution to the economy," he noted.

More than 90 percent of the sector's 2009 estimated revenues were for foreign markets. There is also an increasing share of revenues from the domestic market.

Likewise, the foreign market of the independent film industry is growing, particularly the United States and Canada where the distributors are strong.

Television programs and music products are also slowly becoming successfully distributed abroad. The television programming sector comprises around 60 percent of the creative industries.

"With television programming and music products, the biggest market has always been Asia but they are starting to enter North America and Europe. While animated content and video games are usually sold in North America but then expanding into Asia," said Tolentino.

Industry players were looking at a conservative growth rate of 35 to 45 percent in 2011 in terms of exports volume, but an aggressive growth model indicates a 45 to 55 percent.

"Right now, 10 to 15 percent of the revenues of the creative industries are from the foreign markets. In three to four years, probably half of what is being produced in the Philippines is going to be exported."

Nagpapahaba ng leeg??? Parang sa tibet ba yon o Indensia or something na nagsosoot ng layers of rings para humaba ang leeg dahil regal tignan at PAMPADAGDAG ng height???:lol::lol::lol:
Pero mukha yatang naging slender , bumata at gumanda si ate Glue sa mga latest pics niya Vicky Belo kaya yan??he he

Baka naman kaya pupunta ng HK para ma deposit ng alepores niya sa secret account niya ang mga ninakaw nuon pera :lol:

hmm ive always wondered what this word meant and why it sounded kinda spanish hehe, so i did some search on a few words that sound closest to it for its possible origin, and guess what i found: alipores = alferez = ensign/lowest rank of commissioned infantry officers. Wala lang :D :lol:

WTO rules against Philippines' spirits tax -sources (http://www.cnbc.com/id/43548009)
Published: Monday, 27 Jun 2011 | 10:12 AM ET

BRUSSELS, June 27 (Reuters) - Taxes levied by the Philippines on alcoholic drinks from the European Union and United States are illegal under global trade rules, the world's trade dispute body ruled on Monday, according to sources close to the case. In a confidential report circulated to the parties involved in the dispute, a legal panel at the World Trade Organization ruled the Philippines' spirits taxes discriminate against brands such as Jack Daniel's and Jim Beam as well as Spain's Brandy de Jerez, while favouring domestic producers catering for the Asian archipelago's $3 billion spirits market, the sources said. The ruling will be made public in August. (Reporting by Juliane von Reppert-Bismarck; Editing by Rex Merrifield)

win some, lose some. i guess.. :colgate:

WTO rule a boost for PHL tobacco farmers
SATURDAY, 25 JUNE 2011 16:53

With the ban imposed by the local governments of Manila and Makati on smoking in public places, the logical consequence of this is the decline in the demand for tobacco products. Government estimates, however, show that there will be no reduction in the demand for tobacco products such as cigarettes this year.

Estimates by the National Tobacco Administration (NTA) show that tobacco farmers from major tobacco-producing provinces are expected to rake in more than P5 billion this year. This year tobacco production is expected to go up by 4.3 percent to 77 kilograms, from 73.77 million kilos. Last year’s production was valued at P4.85 billion.

Hectarage planted to tobacco is expected to increase by 12.1 percent to 37,000 hectares.

“More farmers planted tobacco because of good income. Also, local government units [LGUs] are keen and interested to take part in production,” NTA Administrator Edgardo D. Zaragoza said.

LGUs in tobacco-producing provinces have incentives to encourage the planting of tobacco in their locales. For one, laws such as Republic Acts (RA) 7171 and 8240 mandate the provision of support for the tobacco industry. RA 8240 authorized the setting aside of 15 percent of excise tax on tobacco products to be allocated and divided among provinces producing Burley and native tobacco. Also, 15 percent of excise taxes imposed on Virginia type of cigarettes will be allocated to provinces producing the tobacco grade.

The agency said around 45 percent of local tobacco production is bought by cigarette manufacturers and is processed for the export market. Among the major buyers of locally produced tobacco leaves are Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco Inc. (PMFTC) and La Suerte.

The government projected that tobacco production will increase steadily in the next three to five years. Zaragoza said tobacco farming is an attractive venture for farmers, and that it will not go away anytime soon as there is no viable alternative for it.

Thailand loses at WTO

NTA said it expects more farmers to go into tobacco farming after the World Trade Organization (WTO) ruled in favor of PMFTC over cigarette taxes and duties imposed by Thailand.

On June 17 the appellate body of the WTO upheld a November report by the Dispute Settlement Body, which indicated that Thailand acted inconsistently with its WTO obligations and acted counter to provisions of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT).

“With the WTO decision, there is a good possibility that PMFTC will increase its tobacco buying from farmers,” said Zaragoza.

The ruling, he noted, removed a stumbling block for PMFTC to be able to ship out more cigarettes to Thailand. This, then, will result in more purchases of tobacco from farmers.

The Philippine government filed the case on behalf of PMFTC against the Thai government. This is because only governments are allowed to file a case at the WTO on behalf of companies operating within their borders.

PMFTC charged that Thailand was biased against imported cigarette brands, particularly in terms of customs valuation practices, health tax, value-added tax, import guarantees, retail licensing requirements and excise tax imposed on cigarette importers.

The company decided to seek the assistance of the Philippines after efforts to seek a bilateral resolution to the issue failed. In 2008 Manila requested the WTO panel to examine the customs, fiscal and health measures that Bangkok imposes on imported cigarettes. Last November the panel issued a decision saying that Thailand had acted inconsistently with its obligations under WTO.

More exports

PMFTC operates two plants in the Philippines and it ships out cigarettes to its sister company in Thailand. The company has contract-growing arrangements with tobacco farmers in major tobacco-producing areas in the Philippines. These arrangements have allowed the company to source tobacco leaves that meet its specifications.

In 2010 the company disclosed that it was able to ship out 7.2 billion sticks to Thailand, up by almost 13 percent from 6.2 billion sticks in 2009. PMFTC exports cigarettes under the L&M and Marlboro brands.

Zaragoza also said the WTO ruling has also made it more competitive for other cigarette manufacturers to set its sights on the Thailand market. “But as to whether it will translate into actual sales is another story,” he said.

The country exports tobacco leaves to the United States, Belgium, South Africa, Korea and Malaysia, and manufactured cigarettes to Thailand, Korea, Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam.

The country also imports high-grade tobacco from Turkey, China, Pakistan, India and the United States, and manufactured cigarettes from France, Singapore, Hong Kong, Vietnam and China. The country imports tobacco leaves for blending with locally produced leaves. The Philippines produces three types of tobacco leaves—Virginia, Burley and the native variant.

From January to April this year, the Philippines imported 19.85 million kilos, valued at $54.24 million. Cigarette imports reached more than 600,000 kilos, valued at $4.86 million.

http://businessmirror.com.ph/home/perspective/12914-wto-rule-a-boost-for-phl-tobacco-farmers

Philippine trade, investment road show in Italy reported a success (http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/324505/philippine-trade-investment-road-show-italy-reported-a-success)
June 28, 2011, 1:24am

MANILA, Philippines — The trade and investment road show by the Philippines in Milan, Italy – the first leg- was reported to be a big success and attracted some 370 entrepreneurs in the area.

The Philippine road show was promoted by the Italian Embassy in Manila, in partnership with the Board of Investment of the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry and the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines to inform the Italian business community about the many opportunities that the Philippines has to offer to Italian and European companies who are targeting the Asian Markets, including China, Japan, South Korea and the Asean countries.

Luca Fornari, the Italian Ambassador to the Philippines, explains: “Italians are aware of the great qualities of Filipinos who are working in our country, but they are not aware of all the advantages that could be offered to them should they decide to invest in the Philippines, be it in manufacturing and/or service and after-sales operations.

Moreover, the core of Italian entrepreneurship in fashion, design, furniture and other industries is composed of very dynamic small and medium enterprises that need to set up their international operations in countries where communication is easy and where they can establish friendly partnerships based on trust and transparency. And I believe that there is no other place in Asia where this can be done as easily as in the Philippines.”

President Aquino himself has been briefly informed about the initiative taken by Ambassador Fornari in occasion of the Philippine Independence Day and took an interest in this communication format for promoting our country abroad.

The Filipino delegation was headed by Tong Buencamino, Senior Trade Representative of the DTI’s European office in Berlin. The Italian audience took a strong interest in everything – from the information on the opportunities offered by the Philippine Economic Zones, to the whole set of PPP projects undertaken by the Aquino Government.

The audience openly applauded Riccardo Mattei – the CEO of Leigh Fisher Italia, a consultant to the World Bank and the Philippine Government – for the launch of the PPP projects and bids. It was also Mattei who announced that within the next few days, a meeting organized by the Philippine Government with the future investors under the PPP initiatives will take place.

“The right time to look at the Philippines is now,” said Mr. Mattei, who also praised the “high competence” of the public officials that he met. During the meeting, Carlo Cordaro of Filveneer, Roberto Fazzini of Italfood and Joey Leviste of Constellation Energy, related to the audience their personal (and very successful) experiences in the country. There were many questions by Italian entrepreneurs of different industries, ranging from fashion to car components, who want to explore their possibility of setting up new operations in the Philippines.

Those who attended the meeting also received a business guide published for this occasion – How and why to make business in the Philippines – sponsored by a group of Italian companies.

“We believe that we need to inform our friends in Italy about all the opportunities they can have in this country,” says Armando de Rossi, one the sponsors and the head of the newly established Italian Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines.

The other Italian companies and entrepreneurs supporting the program are: Trevi Foundation Group (a construction company), Ettore Rossi (CEO and founder of Advanced Foundation, Construction Systems Corp.), Carlo Cordaro (FilVeneer), Gianni Guidicelli (President and founder of Cebu Flamingo), Niccolò Terrei (CEO and founder of Elburg Ship Management) and Assicurazioni Generali, the biggest life insurance company in Europe – owner of Generali Pilipinas.

The other meetings of the road show, hosted by the local Chambers of Commerce, are currently taking place in Padua, near Venice, and in Turin (the Italian car industry hub). On June 27th in Rome, a final meeting will be hosted by the Italian Confederation of Industries (Confindustria) with the support of the Philippines Commercial Attaché, John Paul B. Iñigo, and the Philippine Ambassador to Italy, Romeo L. Manalo.

The start of the road show also attracted a lot of attention from the local media, especially from the leading Italian business newspaper – Il Sole 24 Ore – which dedicated its online edition and its international business page to the Filipino economic revival.





-------------------------


Somehow I feel like its not pnoy's presidency that will ultimately move our country forward...I feel its the FILIPINO'S LOVE FOR THEIR COUNTRY is what matters the most....as long as we just have some peace and stability people like Ambassador Fornari will step up and bring in the bacon ....and if there's some million Ambassador Fornari who will take that initiative, it can compensate even the incompetent leadership that we have..and this is even the height of pnoys cancellation to some Euro government sponsored projects....Kudos to you Ambassador Fornari :banana::cheers::banana::cheers:

for the closed-minded nationalists, some lessons

First on President Lula’s agenda was to open up the country to foreign businesses. He did this by amending the restrictive constitutional laws that prevented foreign enterprises from entering Brazil. This single act opened the floodgates of foreign investments, giving it the hard currency to fund its infrastructure and reforms program.



This is exactly what Ramos and Gloria tried to do with their attempts to open the floodgates of the economy to foreign investment thru Chacha but the elite is well entrenched because they can manipulate the opinions of the ignorant masses thru the media i.e. the Lopez control of ABS-CBN.

For as long as there are more job applicants than businesses in our country, the elite can continue selling Filipino consumers overpriced goods. The only way they know how to be more cost efficient is by paying their workers a pittance and any other investments they might make is primarily intended to gain more market share rather than improving the lot of their workers. If they had more competition they themselves will be forced to lower their costs and subsequently prices in order to survive. Another factor in Brazil's success is the voracious appetite of China for it's resources most specifically Iron Ore. Brazil also has large offshore oil reserves. They're probably ahead of us by a good 10 years in opening up their mining sector to foreign investments.

Creative industry exports growing 50% (http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/324492/creative-industry-exports-growing-50)
By EDU LOPEZ
June 28, 2011, 12:03am

MANILA, Philippines — Exports of creative industry products and services are expected to increase by 50 percent in the next three to four years from 10 to 15 percent, as most sectors will be aggressive in driving the sector's growth.

Cesar S. Tolentino, competitive intelligence research consultant and industry analyst, said the bigger components of the creative industries were growing by more than 10 percent per year from 1999 to 2008.

These industry produces and services include game development, independent film, music products and television programming.

Tolentino cited the game development industry which is generating an annual growth rate of more than 50 percent. Its revenues were estimated to have reached more than $9 million last year and projected to reach around $14 million by end of 2011.

"Probably it cannot overtake the business process outsourcing (BPO) call centers but definitely beyond five years, it is possible for the video game industry to catch up in terms of revenues and contribution to the economy," he noted.

More than 90 percent of the sector's 2009 estimated revenues were for foreign markets. There is also an increasing share of revenues from the domestic market.

Likewise, the foreign market of the independent film industry is growing, particularly the United States and Canada where the distributors are strong.

Television programs and music products are also slowly becoming successfully distributed abroad. The television programming sector comprises around 60 percent of the creative industries.

"With television programming and music products, the biggest market has always been Asia but they are starting to enter North America and Europe. While animated content and video games are usually sold in North America but then expanding into Asia," said Tolentino.

Industry players were looking at a conservative growth rate of 35 to 45 percent in 2011 in terms of exports volume, but an aggressive growth model indicates a 45 to 55 percent.

"Right now, 10 to 15 percent of the revenues of the creative industries are from the foreign markets. In three to four years, probably half of what is being produced in the Philippines is going to be exported."

This is what I'm talking about. The creative industry is one of those fields where The Philippines has the potential to grow and expand.

Good news muna..:cheers::cheers:


DTI, industries back anti-competition bill



By BERNIE CAHILES-MAGKILAT
June 27, 2011, 1:22am
Manila Bulletin


MANILA, Philippines — Domestic manufacturers and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) are one in pushing for the passage of anti-competition bill into law stressing there are many forms of anti-competition practices that need thorough study to level the playing field and encourage more investments.

Trade and Industry Secretary Gregory L. Domingo and Jesus L. Arranza, chairman of the Federation of Philippine Industries, have rallied behind Senate Bill No. 1 or the “Competition Act” of Senator Juan Ponce Enrile.

“We are for it,” Domingo said.

Domingo said that if a Competition Commission is created, there should be a need for a concurrence of two departments the DTI, National Economic Development Authority or the Department of Justice or a combination for check and balance on decisions made on particular complaint of anti-competitive behavior.

If there would be no Competition Commission, Domingo said then the DoJ would be the primary investigative body.

Earlier, Malacañang issued Executive Order 45 designating the DoJ as the Competition Authority. The issuance of the EO was timely considering the opposition of the country’s second biggest telco company, Globe Telecommunications of the Ayala Group against the acquisition of Digital Telecommunications, the country’s third largest telco player, by Philippine Long Distance Co. (PLDT), the country’s biggest telco company.

Globe has urged the government to protect and maintain free competition in the market by ensuring a level playing field that will allow consumers to choose the best services and give telco providers equal opportunities to compete.

Globe believes that the merger will result in an imbalance in market share and scarce frequency resources that will affect free competition and services to millions of subscribers, among others.

According to Domingo, the DTI will continue its role in business and the industry as the information source for business practices, business relationship and impact on business environment.

For its part, the FPI, which is comprised of domestic industry associations, has been in the forefront in putting the interest of domestic industries and promotion of fair trade practices.

“There are various kinds of unfair trade practices and these should be studied by the DoJ and see if there are elements of anti-competitive behavior,” said Arranza.

According to Arranza, a good indicator of competition going on among industry players is when companies engage in promotions of their products and services.

“But if industry players announce their price and talk as an association that is a good indication of a cartel operation going on,” Arranza said.

Arranza does not want to specify which industries are prone to anti-competitive tendencies.

It could be recalled that Arranza personally initiated a case for cartelization before the DoJ against the officers of the LPG Marketers Association (LPGMA) headed by Arnel Ty.

Arranza filed this case on the ground that LPGMA discussed among themselves the pricing of their commodity and used as evidenced the same documents, which LPGMA submitted to the Commission on Elections for its party-list registration.

Arranza strongly believed that prosecuting monopolies and combinations that restraint trade would necessarily promote competition, level the playing field in the market, and ultimately inure to the benefit of the consumers.

Senate Bill No. 1 or the "Competition Act of 2010" is anchored on the constitutional mandate that "the State shall regulate or prohibit monopolies when the public interest so requires and that no combinations in restraint of trade or unfair competition shall be allowed."

That's bad isn't it? Anti-competition? :lol:

This is exactly what Ramos and Gloria tried to do with their attempts to open the floodgates of the economy to foreign investment thru Chacha but the elite is well entrenched because they can manipulate the opinions of the ignorant masses thru the media i.e. the Lopez control of ABS-CBN.

For as long as there are more job applicants than businesses in our country, the elite can continue selling Filipino consumers overpriced goods. The only way they know how to be more cost efficient is by paying their workers a pittance and any other investments they might make is primarily intended to gain more market share rather than improving the lot of their workers. If they had more competition they themselves will be forced to lower their costs and subsequently prices in order to survive. Another factor in Brazil's success is the voracious appetite of China for it's resources most specifically Iron Ore. Brazil also has large offshore oil reserves. They're probably ahead of us by a good 10 years in opening up their mining sector to foreign investments.

there you go! thanks for breaking it down for us in the thread :okay:
im glad to see more people getting involved in this discussion instead of the usual trash talk on who is the lesser evil between two traditional politicians that only divert our attention from the real issues at hand :lol: and people wonder why PHL is not getting as much attention as Indonesia and Vietnam in the global market, in fact one recent publication posted in the ASEAN thread dropped us out of the Asean 5 emerging economies. TRUTH is we're not as visible in the investment map as Vietnam and Indonesia because of our own choice to restrict their entry! what used to be us playing against Malaysia and Thailand, became us vs. Indonesia and now us vs. Vietnam. Seriously, what the fuck is going on here?!! :bash::bash:

anyways hehe. as much as i want to be optimistic about the new leadership, i feel like this aint gonna happen within his term. for one, he already said amending our economic laws is not one of the priorities of his administration.. and as much as he portrays himself as a 'change' president, i still see him as the face of the status quo. the son of the 1987 charter. i hope im wrong though, and that eventually he could live up to his own ideals as a real maverick and reform president. :)

^^ Dont worry about the "New ASEAN 5". The only thing emerging out of our butt cracks here is inflation. Not happy. Not happy at all. My holiday money is taking a beating.

New Cebu power plant makes Kepco a top power supplier
By Donnabelle L. Gatdula





MANILA, Philippines - Korea Electric Power Corp. (Kepco), South Korea’s state-run firm, is now the fourth largest electric power supplier in the Philippines after completing its 200-megawatt (MW) coal-fired plant in Cebu.

In a statement, Kepco said with the new power plant, it now contributes 15 percent of the country’s power requirement with a supply capacity of 2,050 MW.

The company started the construction of the Cebu-based power facility three years ago and spent about $451 million for the coal-run power plant.

“During its three years of construction, the plant contributed greatly to the Philippines’ economy by hiring an average of about 2,000 local workers a day while also helping resolve the problem of power shortages,” Kepco said.

For the construction and future operations of the plant, Kepco established KSPC, a joint venture with local power firm SPC Power Corp. The South Korean company has a 76-percent stake in the joint venture.

Last month, the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) approved the issuance of a certificate of compliance (COC) to KSPC’s 100-MW Unit 2 Cebu coal-fired power plant in Colon.

The facility is a clean coal-fired power plant that uses circulation fluidized bed combustion (CFBC) technology which reduces the generated greenhouse emissions resulting in cost savings in its operation.

The power plant is expected to provide 11.24 percent of the requirements of the Visayas grid, leading to significant improvements in the power supply to the islands of Cebu, Negros and Panay.

^^ Dont worry about the "New ASEAN 5". The only thing emerging out of our butt cracks here is inflation. Not happy. Not happy at all. My holiday money is taking a beating.

Even if Vietnam receives a load of foreign investments. The country still has a long way to go before exceeding The Philippines.

In fact I doubt Vietnam can achieve that and I don't think Filipinos will allow that to happen.

^^ Dont worry about the "New ASEAN 5". The only thing emerging out of our butt cracks here is inflation. Not happy. Not happy at all. My holiday money is taking a beating.

:lol: i see. but we're not entirely safe from rising inflation either brought by the mideast turmoil.. ours is just more manageable in the timebeing i guess given the steady inflow of remittance dollars. but still, once the inflation crisis dissipates and Vietnam gets its house back in order, they could still emerge stronger and wealthier than us just like Thailand who we thought we had a good chance of beating, or at least catching up with when the first wave of crisis hit Bangkok in the late 90s. but as it turned out, we're stuck below Thailand for good.

for me, these FDI figures are clear: $1.7B vs. Vietnam's $7.6B.
even Thailand that was hit had by political crisis got $6.4B in investments last year. and we will continue to be the least attractive economy in ASEAN if these issues are not addressed. :ohno:

Even if Vietnam receives a load of foreign investments. The country still has a long way to go before exceeding The Philippines.

In fact I doubt Vietnam can achieve that and I don't think Filipinos will allow that to happen.

They will try and one thing that you have to give it to VN is that the govt got its head together when in comes to business.

I've said it here before, unless VN upgrades its education to at least the standards of the PHL, then it will be consigned to being a backyard factory of China. Not a single VN Uni made it to the top 200 unis in Asia. The success stories of Japan and Korea was because they were able to invest in education and infrastructure.


:lol: i see. but we're not entirely safe from rising inflation either brought by the mideast turmoil.. ours is just more manageable in the timebeing i guess given the steady inflow of remittance dollars. but still, once the inflation crisis dissipates and Vietnam gets its house back in order, they could still emerge stronger and wealthier than us just like Thailand who we thought we had a good chance of beating, or at least catching up with when the first wave of crisis hit Bangkok in the late 90s. but as it turned out, we're stuck below Thailand for good.

for me, these FDI figures are clear: $1.7B vs. Vietnam's $7.6B.
even Thailand that was hit had by political crisis got $6.4B in investments last year. and we will continue to be the least attractive economy in ASEAN if these issues are not addressed. :ohno:


As for inflation pare 20% is 20% malaking bagay yan especially that the average wage here is about 100USD and the rent is 3-5 times of that.

As for FDIs, their macro numbers are good, no disputing that but the nitty gritty of whether growth is sustainable beyond being cheap manufacturing with slave wages and a rice production driven economy, that's a different story. They need to innovate and be open for change.

They will try and one thing that you have to give it to VN is that the govt got its head together when in comes to business.



So Vietnam's universities can't match these

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_oZn5h-IMt1E/TDW_OTq_wMI/AAAAAAAAAKE/cq8gS841LYc/s400/AteneoBlueEagles.jpg

http://wiki.tell.com/images/e/e3/DLSGreenArchers.png

Even if Vietnam receives a load of foreign investments. The country still has a long way to go before exceeding The Philippines.

In fact I doubt Vietnam can achieve that and I don't think Filipinos will allow that to happen.


they did na nga, a long long time ago pa :ohno::ohno::ohno:

they did na nga, a long long time ago pa :ohno::ohno::ohno:

As a whole?

So Vietnam's universities can't match these

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_oZn5h-IMt1E/TDW_OTq_wMI/AAAAAAAAAKE/cq8gS841LYc/s400/AteneoBlueEagles.jpg

http://wiki.tell.com/images/e/e3/DLSGreenArchers.png


for one thing, we have boasted enough to be proficient in English among asian nations but that really did not make us an investment haven. It led us to nowhere.

As a whole?

yes as a whole, kumbaga sa AI, we are now at the bottom 3 :ohno::ohno::ohno:

for one thing, we have boasted enough to be proficient in English among asian nations but that really did not make us an investment haven. It led us to nowhere.

The simplest thing, advertising.

How often do you see invest in Indonesia or Vietnam, etc. in CNN, BBC, Bloomberg and the likes.

How often do you see invest in The Philippines in these cable networks?

Even if Vietnam receives a load of foreign investments. The country still has a long way to go before exceeding The Philippines.

In fact I doubt Vietnam can achieve that and I don't think Filipinos will allow that to happen.



The economists are forecasting it will not take long before VN overtakes the PH on those fronts. The question is not whether VN can achieve it but when. Pinoys have no control of VN economic ascension but it is good to be competitive.:)

they did na nga, a long long time ago pa :ohno::ohno::ohno:

Says who? :nuts:

So Vietnam's universities can't match these

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_oZn5h-IMt1E/TDW_OTq_wMI/AAAAAAAAAKE/cq8gS841LYc/s400/AteneoBlueEagles.jpg

http://wiki.tell.com/images/e/e3/DLSGreenArchers.png

Or this:

http://www.examiner.com/images/blog/replicate/EXID45800/images/up(1).png

for one thing, we have boasted enough to be proficient in English among asian nations but that really did not make us an investment haven. It led us to nowhere.

Your argument do not follow. Sorry. Not making any sense.

nakakalungkot lang, I was watching NatGeo kanina and they featured top 20 asian marvels, hindi tayo kasali :ohno::ohno::ohno:

Says who? :nuts:



Or this:




Your argument do not follow. Sorry. Not making any sense.

One more

http://www.pinoyengineers.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/UST-logo.jpg

nakakalungkot lang, I was watching NatGeo kanina and they featured top 20 asian marvels, hindi tayo kasali :ohno::ohno::ohno:

If there is to blame it would be The Philippine government, Department of Tourism and local media groups for not exposing the country and limited it to The Filipino Channel and the likes.

for one thing, we have boasted enough to be proficient in English among asian nations but that really did not make us an investment haven. It led us to nowhere.

Most of the good English speakers have left the country. :D Even our own DOE acknowledges the sad state of students verbal English language skills in schools.

The economists are forecasting it will not take long before VN overtakes the PH on those fronts. The question is not whether VN can achieve it but when. Pinoys have no control of VN economic ascension but it is good to be competitive.:)

Economic predictions are good only if and when taken all other things constant.

Reality different on the ground as opposed to economists ensconced in front of their computers.


yes as a whole, kumbaga sa AI, we are now at the bottom 3 :ohno::ohno::ohno:

Are you serious?

Btw, recent credit ratings showed VN's status as negative.

Says who? :nuts:



Or this:

http://www.examiner.com/images/blog/replicate/EXID45800/images/up(1).png



Your argument do not follow. Sorry. Not making any sense.

i was not trying to make sense. I said we were already left behind not by vietnam alone. Matagal nang napabayaan ang Pilipinas :ohno:

Most of the good English speakers have left the country. :D Even our own DOE acknowledges the sad state of students spoken English language skills in schools.

Being pessimist does not help The Philippines.

In fact, this is the kind of attitude that holds the country to develop further.

nakakalungkot lang, I was watching NatGeo kanina and they featured top 20 asian marvels, hindi tayo kasali :ohno::ohno::ohno:

Incidentally the Executive Editor of Nat Geo is a Filipino. ;)

We figure with other Nat Geo travel reports actually. I posted a few of them on the tourism thread.

i was not trying to make sense. I said we were already left behind not by vietnam alone. Matagal nang napabayaan ang Pilipinas :ohno:

No valid proof.

English proficiency is not directly related to a country's development. Ergo, you are not making sense.

You are entitled to your opinion, but I am entitled to disagree.

The simplest thing, advertising.

How often do you see invest in Indonesia or Vietnam, etc. in CNN, BBC, Bloomberg and the likes.

How often do you see invest in The Philippines in these cable networks?

what advertising are you talking about? :lol:
so you put on some fancy adverts on cable to attract foreign investors to become minority owners in PHL where they have no control over their investments? i mean, what for? :bash: :lol::lol:

Repost ko na lang.. FYI. its not about the lack of advertising. its about POLICIES. :cheers:

Increasing Investments and the Constitution
Business Buddies
By ANDREW JAMES MASIGAN
June 20, 2011, 1:20am


MANILA, Philippines — Amidst the political odds and ends that hogged the headlines last week, PEZA and the Board of Investments (BOI) announced that investments in their agencies surged by 123 percent in the first quarter this year, with a haul of P144.8 billion.

This means more than 150,000 new jobs for Juan dela Cruz. Dir. Gen. Lilia de Lima of PEZA and Usec. Cristino Panlilio (BOI’s Managing Head) deserve a big thank you from all of us for bringing home the bacon.

A 123-percent increase in investments is impressive by any means of measure. Still, the lion’s share of it came from newly established Filipino enterprises and existing firms expanding their operations. The influx of Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) still eludes us, as it comprises only a small part of the pie (about P17 billion).

The Philippines gets the smallest share of FDIs in the region and this is what has impeded our growth for many years. To put it in perspective, we attracted US$1.7B in FDIs last year compared to Thailand’s US$6.4B, Indonesia’s US$5.4B, Malaysia’s US$7.B and Vietnam’s US$7.6B.

The restrictive economic laws of our 1987 constitution are largely the reason why the Philippines remains unattractive to FDIs. The laws were written in a different time and under different circumstances. While they served a purpose in the past, theyhave become outdated in this age of free markets where trade, information and knowledge flow freely from one country to another.

This is why I was happy to hear that Speaker Sonny Belmonte and Senator Juan Ponce Enrile are reviving the initiative to amend the economic laws of the constitution. It is a highly politicized issue and I give props to the good senator and congressman for having the courage to spearhead it. The move to modify our economic laws to one that is more competitive and up to the times is crucial to ensure the economic survival of the next generation.

Why Our Economic Laws Need to Evolve

We are up against fierce competition. The ASEAN 5 , Hongkong, Taiwan and South Korea have practically opened all their industries to foreign investors, while we, by virtue of our outdated laws, either restrict them totally or limit their ownership to a minority stake.

So severe are our restrictions that many consider it as going against the very tenets of a free market economy. It’s even been said that the constitution of socialist Vietnam is far more market-driven than that of democratic Philippines. Numbers don’t lie and investors clearly favor Vietnam over us.

Our economic laws can be best described as “insular” and one that stems from fear of big foreign businesses. It was designed to protect the Filipino from colonial domination via commerce and industry, a precept that is now irrelevant given the global economic environment we operate in. Even worse, it assumes that a beeline of investors are waiting in the wings to enter our market and that we are not in competition to attract precious FDIs.

Our constitution contains what it calls a “negative list” that totally bans foreign participation in certain industries. For instance, foreign firms cannot engage in businesses relating to mass media. This is why despite our Americanized culture we lost the chance of being the hub for MTV Asia, the Disney Channel, HBO and Discovery Channel to Singapore and Hongkong. This is also why ABSCBN and GMA7 have become the oligopolies they are today.

Foreigners are also prohibited from setting up professional practice in the Philippines, particularly in the fields of architecture, engineering, chemistry, medicine, education, agriculture and law. This restriction has choked the free-flow of technology and knowledge to our people.

A minority stake of 40 percent is the maximum a foreigner can own in businesses engaged in public utilities, land development (when land is owned), and Build-Operate and Transfer deals requiring public franchises. Read between the lines and you will find that this is a cloaked protectionist rule. After all, how many Filipino firms are capable of funding these capital-intensive businesses?

The rule favors the select few who can. The result is that big firms get bigger, while the consumer is left to settle with second best.

The same equity restriction is also imposed on rice production as well as deep-sea commercial fishing.

Constraints in the free flow of capital and new technologies in agriculture and fisheries is the reason we are not self-sufficient in food production today.

But the most unforgivable flaw is the 40 percent equity restriction on educational institutions .

Universities like Harvard, London Business School, MIT and Stanford cannot wholly own campuses in the Philippines as they readily can in Singapore. Not only does this deprive our children from worldclass education, it deprives our local universities of competition, which acts as a motivator towards stepping up their standards.

Put Yourselves in the Investor’s Shoes

If you were a foreign investor, would you choose to put your money in a country where all you can own is a minority stake and where you have no control over your investment?

Granted you were willing to navigate through the bureaucracy, choked-up infrastructure and corruption, does the Philippines offer enough incentives to outweigh the risk of a minority ownership? Or would it simply be easier to locate your business in Indonesia and Vietnam, where free market policies reign?

Times have changed and so must we. I wish Speaker Belmonte and Senator Enrile all the luck as they go through the difficult process of charter change. It’s a step towards the right direction…a step we need to take in order to survive and compete.

May this be your legacy to the next generation. Godspeed.


Andrew is an economist, political analyst and businessman. He is a 20- year veteran in the hospitality and tourism industry. For comments, e-mail andrew_rs6@yahoo.com.

http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/323377/increasing-investments-and-constitution

Economic predictions are good only if and when taken all other things constant.

Reality different on the ground as opposed to economists ensconced in front of their computers.




The data shows otherwise however like I said it is good to be competitive.

Being pessimist does not help The Philippines.

In fact, this is the kind of attitude that holds the country to develop further.



That doesn't mean anything. It is good to have a self reality check to improve and be competitive.:)

The data show otherwise however like I said it is good to be competitive.

If you refer to my earlier post, I said that FDIs and macro data isnt the problem. I am not disputing that. Micro, tells otherwise.

Also, take everything with a grain of salt. Officially sanctioned wholesale window dressing is a great phrase what everyone knows as a positive spin to attract investors. ;)

No valid proof.

English proficiency is not directly related to a country's development. Ergo, you are not making sense.

You are entitled to your opinion, but I am entitled to disagree.

kaya nga, our proficiency in english did not propel us to staggering heights economically which could have been our biggest selling advantage. But government after government failed and they failed miserably :ohno:

kaya nga, our proficiency in english did not propel us to staggering heights economically which could have been our biggest selling advantage. But government after government failed and they failed miserably :ohno:

Why would you expect that English to propel us to economic progress when clearly it is not the most important criterion in the grand scheme of things?

Why would you expect that English to propel us to economic progress when clearly it is not the most important criterion in the grand scheme of things?

i agree, people should realize that the most important criterion, the reason all these less educated neighbours are experiencing progress (sorry to be mean, but this is our thread anyway so i can be mean hehe) is because of their policies and incentives for investors to set up shop in their countries. Here in the PHL, we promote a restrictive / protectionist policy, so despite our intellectual edge, they get the FDIs and we don't. we simply don't want them.

Why would you expect that English to propel us to economic progress when clearly it is not the most important criterion in the grand scheme of things?

well sabi ko nga it could have been our biggest advantage if nacapitalize natin.

why do we always use it to sell our country abroad among investors?

well for one it is what we do best, capitalize on that and we can be achievers.

but I think that is irrelevant now. kasi ngayon kung magaling kang mag english, either ESL teacher ka or tutor. :)

Even if Vietnam receives a load of foreign investments. The country still has a long way to go before exceeding The Philippines.

In fact I doubt Vietnam can achieve that and I don't think Filipinos will allow that to happen.

they did na nga, a long long time ago pa :ohno::ohno::ohno:


napalayo tayo, actually when I said na napag-iwanan na tayo a long long time ago pa, i was thinking kasi na di ba dati no. 2 tayo sa asian ...

well sabi ko nga it could have been our biggest advantage if nacapitalize natin.

why do we always use it to sell our country abroad among investors?

well for one it is what we do best, capitalize on that and we can be achievers.

but I think that is irrelevant now. kasi ngayon kung magaling kang mag english, either ESL teacher ka or tutor. :)


Your point is clear. This 'English' advantage was supposedly our winning chess piece that only got us the IM over our neighbors GM.:D BTW, our meteoric rise as a BPO center supports your point clearly. :okay:

well sabi ko nga it could have been our biggest advantage if nacapitalize natin.

why do we always use it to sell our country abroad among investors?

well for one it is what we do best, capitalize on that and we can be achievers.

but I think that is irrelevant now. kasi ngayon kung magaling kang mag english, either ESL teacher ka or tutor. :)


It is for certain industries, but economy do not lie on that alone, there are several factors to consider.

Your point is clear. This 'English' advantage was supposedly our winning chess piece that only got us the IM over our neighbors GM.:D BTW, our meteoric rise as a BPO center supports your point clearly. :okay:

That's one industry. There are other industries to speak of. Japan, Korea, Singapore, Thailand improved their economies significantly not because of English proficiency but of other things.

i agree, people should realize that the most important criterion, the reason all these less educated neighbours are experiencing progress (sorry to be mean, but this is our thread anyway so i can be mean hehe) is because of their policies and incentives for investors to set up shop in their countries. Here in the PHL, we promote a restrictive / protectionist policy, so despite our intellectual edge, they get the FDIs and we don't. we simply don't want them.

BINGO. :cheers:

It is for certain industries, but economy do not lie on that alone, there are several factors to consider.



That's one industry. There are other industries to speak of. Japan, Korea, Singapore, Thailand improved their economies significantly not because of English proficiency but of other things.


I agree. Of course, our state of economy is not dependent on our English profiency alone. That's a no brainer. I think Perseus is simply pointing out that 'advantage'. His discourse is that simple from what I understand- and not meant to order the rest of the food on the menu.:)

I agree. Of course, our state of economy is not dependent on our English profiency alone. That's a no brainer. I think Perseus is simply pointing out that 'advantage'. His discourse is that simple from what I understand- and not meant to order the rest of the food on the menu.:)

Yep, which goes back to his first statement which I had a trouble with.

Originally Posted by Perseus II
for one thing, we have boasted enough to be proficient in English among asian nations but that really did not make us an investment haven. It led us to nowhere.


I find that misleading and way too simplistic. That's my opinion tho.

If you refer to my earlier post, I said that FDIs and macro data isnt the problem. I am not disputing that. Micro, tells otherwise.

Also, take everything with a grain of salt. Officially sanctioned wholesale window dressing is a great phrase what everyone knows as a positive spin to attract investors. ;)


And I should have read your earlier post. My bad. :D

Being pessimist does not help The Philippines.

In fact, this is the kind of attitude that holds the country to develop further.

pessimism or optimism plays little in helping the Philippines... more cynicism and pessimism actually might do our country good.

As in any investment decision, most investors take away the noise and focus on fundamentals... all the promotions do little in convincing people to invest same as in the stock market... any company hype quickly desolves if there is no substance.

Filipinos should focus on substance than form. Panay press release natin at pag mamagaling sa foreigner pag dating dito basurahan padin ang mga kalye, bulok ang airport, daming kupal na driver sa kalye, bulok ang leadership..... all this 'hype" and "PR" and "magaling kami" does nothing but breed mediocrity.... Filipinos are happy because we have manny pacquiao, leah salonga some weird Filams in hollywood and NBA.... what kind of lame society gets pride from such crap.....

If we suddenly become number 1 producer of sustainable energy or create the next Bill Gates or find the cure for cancer or perfect nuclear fusion... yan ang dapat ipag malaki not being proud that some freakin Filam is a coach of miami heat... we are jokers

Yep, which goes back to his first statement which I had a trouble with.

I find that misleading and way too simplistic. That's my opinion tho.

totoo naman ah! we have an unfortunate economic trajectory since the end of world war 2.

kaya nga, our proficiency in english did not propel us to staggering heights economically which could have been our biggest selling advantage. But government after government failed and they failed miserably :ohno:


imagine if we did the sames things as the Koreans and Singporeans and we are good in english pa... eh di party-party sana tayo ngayon. :banana:

totoo naman ah! we have an unfortunate economic trajectory since the end of world war 2.

Hayyyy. Let's agree to disagree.

pessimism or optimism plays little in helping the Philippines... more cynicism and pessimism actually might do our country good.

As in any investment decision, most investors take away the noise and focus on fundamentals... all the promotions do little in convincing people to invest same as in the stock market... any company hype quickly desolves if there is no substance.

Filipinos should focus on substance than form. Panay press release natin at pag mamagaling sa foreigner pag dating dito basurahan padin ang mga kalye, bulok ang airport, daming kupal na driver sa kalye, bulok ang leadership..... all this 'hype" and "PR" and "magaling kami" does nothing but breed mediocrity.... Filipinos are happy because we have manny pacquiao, leah salonga some weird Filams in hollywood and NBA.... what kind of lame society gets pride from such crap.....

If we suddenly become number 1 producer of sustainable energy or create the next Bill Gates or find the cure for cancer or perfect nuclear fusion... yan ang dapat ipag malaki not being proud that some freakin Filam is a coach of miami heat... we are jokers

And that Miami Heat coach but not even consider himself or even claim he's Filipino despite having such ancestry.

And that Miami Heat coach but not even consider himself or even claim he's Filipino despite having such ancestry.

see this....he's so proud, the fact he visited San Pablo City twice last year.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/coachspo/5035648786/

^^ i happy they are proud......... but for our society to take some inspiration and pride that they are Filipinos... that is where I become very very cynical....

For example Lea Salonga... how in the world does the Filipino equate her success in the USA to the Philippines success and pride? I cannot make the connection... is it that we developed her to be like that?

sorry for the OT - back to topic.... I'm only suggesting we take some strength and absorb cynism, pessimism and downright trash talk against the Philippines because that might do us some good... For example, if some says our infrastructure sucks... it probably does...... our graduates are not competitive to ASEAN or SIngaporean graduates they most likely are not!... If the Phlippine power grid is not as good as Vietnam it most likely is....

Smart people with the money can take away all the noise... That is why they pay people, consultants and buy data to analyze countries like ours.

What the Philippines (government/business community) should do is to create investment from within (in-house) and not to rely too much from foreign investors. Although highly unlikely at the current state of the economy it is posssible. There are banks that are doing well in the Philippines and they should play an important role in this regard. The possibility of keeping the skilled and well educated graduates of the Philippines to stay in the country is higher. There are thousands of business graduates in the Philippines and they should be encouraged to get into business in the country, by creating a consortium.

MD's from ivy leagues in the Philippines should get into R&D with the government assistance to come up with a medical breakthrough. Instead, of creating expensive hospitals, that caters to medical tourists and wealthy families. Engineers and other professionals who are able to get into R&D should be encouraged, and given the right incentives. Science and Technology should also be given emphasis in the R&D. There are thousands of talented and skilled graduates in the country but they sometimes opt to work abroad, because there are no jobs available for them that pays well.

Simply put, education, talents and skills are way underutilised.

What the Philippines (government/business community) should do is to create investment from within (in-house) and not to rely too much from foreign investors. Although highly unlikely at the current state of the economy it is posssible. There are banks that are doing well in the Philippines and they should play an important role in this regard. The possibility of keeping the skilled and well educated graduates of the Philippines to stay in the country is higher. There are thousands of business graduates in the Philippines and they should be encouraged to get into business in the country, by creating a consortium.

MD's from ivy leagues in the Philippines should get into R&D with the government assistance to come up with a medical breakthrough. Instead, of creating expensive hospitals, that caters to medical tourists and wealthy families. Engineers and other professionals who are able to get into R&D should be encouraged, and given the right incentives. Science and Technology should also be given emphasis in the R&D. There are thousands of talented and skilled graduates in the country but they sometimes opt to work abroad, because there are no jobs available for them that pays well.

:cheers: indeed, if we had the money and a true leader.... We can't even demand a fare hike to reduce transportation subsidies much more channel money to these worthwhile investments.

What the Philippines (government/business community) should do is to create investment from within (in-house) and not to rely too much from foreign investors. Although highly unlikely at the current state of the economy it is posssible. There are banks that are doing well in the Philippines and they should play an important role in this regard. The possibility of keeping the skilled and well educated graduates of the Philippines to stay in the country is higher. There are thousands of business graduates in the Philippines and they should be encouraged to get into business in the country, by creating a consortium.

MD's from ivy leagues in the Philippines should get into R&D with the government assistance to come up with a medical breakthrough. Instead, of creating expensive hospitals, that caters to medical tourists and wealthy families. Engineers and other professionals who are able to get into R&D should be encouraged, and given the right incentives. Science and Technology should also be given emphasis in the R&D. There are thousands of talented and skilled graduates in the country but they sometimes opt to work abroad, because there are no jobs available for them that pays well.

Simply put, education, talents and skills are way underutilised.

Amen sir.:cheers::cheers:

:cheers: indeed, if we had the money and a true leader.... We can't even demand a fare hike to reduce transportation subsidies much more channel money to these worthwhile investments.

Can't drive another extra mile for this matter. I am running out of gas. All I can say is, government lack of leadership. So the culprit is the government inability to prioritized then eh!

may economista ba dito? i'am just wondering if the gov't can copy the US fannie mae and freddy mac style enterprise, since there is a surge of housing needs in the phil.?

is it possible that the gov't create a investment company capitalizing on ofw collective funds?

may economista ba dito? i'am just wondering if the gov't can copy the US fannie mae and freddy mac style enterprise, since there is a surge of housing needs in the phil.?

is it possible that the gov't create a investment company capitalizing on ofw collective funds?

hi-lighted statement: resounding NO! for me. Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac, are both responsible for brigning US economy to its knees.

second statement. you definitely brought up a great idea for "future economist" in this forum to work on. :cheers:

^^ i happy they are proud......... but for our society to take some inspiration and pride that they are Filipinos... that is where I become very very cynical....

I'm only suggesting we take some strength and absorb cynism, pessimism and downright trash talk against the Philippines because that might do us some good... For example, if some says our infrastructure sucks... it probably does...... our graduates are not competitive to ASEAN or SIngaporean graduates they most likely are not!... If the Phlippine power grid is not as good as Vietnam it most likely is....



I agree. Some Filipinos are too thin-skinned.

Pinoy should learn to celebrate success by other Pinoy, both in and outside the country. While acknowledging and be happy for all the strength, we should also have to learn from our mistakes and weaknesses. Recognizing our flaws is one thing doing something about is another thing, but sure is way better than just dismissisng it all. Pinoys, are extremely adaptable, and quick to learn. Just have to appropriately utilized the talents and skills that we have.

Pinoy has the penchant of creating a lot of sizlles but not enough bacon in the pan! Just darn too modest at time to assert onself, in a positive and congenial manner.

anyways hehe. as much as i want to be optimistic about the new leadership, i feel like this aint gonna happen within his term. for one, he already said amending our economic laws is not one of the priorities of his administration.. and as much as he portrays himself as a 'change' president, i still see him as the face of the status quo. the son of the 1987 charter. i hope im wrong though, and that eventually he could live up to his own ideals as a real maverick and reform president. :)

I believe these, even myself isn't really seing all these to happen in Aquino's term (who knows if these would be noticed if he gets a second term). Aquino's winning point is to rid of corruption and is what he is really delivering more or less aside from job creation but I do doubt if any of these bosos, the politicians... are focusing on economic laws. It was overlooked during Arroyo's term, I don't see Pnoy would see the same. Infact, listening to the previous candidates in the last Presidential elections, none of them really adressed this issue. It goes to show how weak filipino politicians/law makers when it comes to addressing the economic issues plaguing the country. Maybe we need a new talent? Perhaps a very successful businessman who is very well versed with International business trade and all?

Pinoy should learn to celebrate success by other Pinoy, both in and outside the country. While acknowledging and be happy for all the strength, we should also have to learn from our mistakes and weaknesses. Recognizing our flaws is one thing doing something about is another thing, but sure is way better than just dismissisng it all. Pinoys, are extremely adaptable, and quick to learn. Just have to appropriately utilized the talents and skills that we have.

Pinoy has the penchant of creating a lot of sizlles but not enough bacon in the pan! Just darn too modest at time to assert onself, in a positive and congenial manner.

Trouble with pinoys is that we are good in copying, even in business approach and economic policies, what they see in other countries is what they most likely to copy and implement in the country. I wish that filipinos are more creative, to come up with something original that is not patterned or copied anywhere. Even back in the days I live in the Philippines, this is what I would hear around and even on radio, "we are a good imitators...". Just in SSC alone, you comonly hear pinoy say these, "sana may ganito o ganoon din ang filipinas" " or if one is lives in the country they would say " This is what we have here in vegas or in the US, the Philippines should have it also"... See how some of us here are so envious that the neighboring countries have these humongous airport terminals, they feel we should have it also because other countries have it.. or perhaps, since some airline companies are being served with an A380 airliners, pinoys would say "we should have it also", most of the time they would not considere the logic behind it, just so other countries get it, we should get it also. Filipinos are talented but despite of being talented, we still lack certain skills, this is one of them IMO.


This is the funny part and I mean no offense to this guy but I would use this quote or post as exhibit * 1

may economista ba dito? i'am just wondering if the gov't can copy the US fannie mae and freddy mac style enterprise, since there is a surge of housing needs in the phil.?

is it possible that the gov't create a investment company capitalizing on ofw collective funds?
And Fanny Mae along with Freddy Mac were the subject of scrutiny during the first leg of US economic recession.



^^
For example Lea Salonga... how in the world does the Filipino equate her success in the USA to the Philippines success and pride? I cannot make the connection... is it that we developed her to be like that?

sorry for the OT - back to topic.... I'm only suggesting we take some strength and absorb cynism, pessimism and downright trash talk against the Philippines because that might do us some good... For example, if some says our infrastructure sucks... it probably does...... our graduates are not competitive to ASEAN or SIngaporean graduates they most likely are not!... If the Phlippine power grid is not as good as Vietnam it most likely is....

Smart people with the money can take away all the noise... That is why they pay people, consultants and buy data to analyze countries like ours.

I agree on you. Alot of times, filipinos take criticism very negatively , sometimes, it would work in our favor if we take criticism in a more constructive way.


What the Philippines (government/business community) should do is to create investment from within (in-house) and not to rely too much from foreign investors. Although highly unlikely at the current state of the economy it is posssible. There are banks that are doing well in the Philippines and they should play an important role in this regard. The possibility of keeping the skilled and well educated graduates of the Philippines to stay in the country is higher. There are thousands of business graduates in the Philippines and they should be encouraged to get into business in the country, by creating a consortium.

Simply put, education, talents and skills are way underutilised.

Yep, once again I totally agree.

Most of the good English speakers have left the country. :D Even our own DOE acknowledges the sad state of students verbal English language skills in schools.

Even during Arroyo administration, the focus were mostly on english skill level of the students, perhaps due to proliferation of BPO or call centers in the Philippines and since it's a good tool for filipinos seeking employment overseas where Arroyo extensively promoted for it became the backbone of the Philippine economy, they overlooked the other areas more important than just the english language skills, this are the areas or Math and Science where filipino students started to lag behind, two most important things to address but since the target were foreign BPO investments and OFW deployment they were trying to give the english language skills as the topmost priority. Little that they knew that if the students are well trained in math and science, this would give the filipinos a better edge in global competitiveness because it would open up the window for a more technological advances and thus would strengthen local investments and the export industry.

BSP sees June inflation at 4.6% to 5.5%
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/business/06/29/11/bsp-sees-june-inflation-46-55


MANILA, Philippines - The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) expects annual inflation in June to be between 4.6% and 5.5%, and it is monitoring the impact on liquidity, demand and prices of developments in Europe and the United States, Governor Amando Tetangco said on Wednesday.

June inflation is due to be released on July 6.

The annual inflation rate was 4.5% in May, the highest sin

What the Philippines (government/business community) should do is to create investment from within (in-house) and not to rely too much from foreign investors. Although highly unlikely at the current state of the economy it is posssible. There are banks that are doing well in the Philippines and they should play an important role in this regard. The possibility of keeping the skilled and well educated graduates of the Philippines to stay in the country is higher. There are thousands of business graduates in the Philippines and they should be encouraged to get into business in the country, by creating a consortium.

MD's from ivy leagues in the Philippines should get into R&D with the government assistance to come up with a medical breakthrough. Instead, of creating expensive hospitals, that caters to medical tourists and wealthy families. Engineers and other professionals who are able to get into R&D should be encouraged, and given the right incentives. Science and Technology should also be given emphasis in the R&D. There are thousands of talented and skilled graduates in the country but they sometimes opt to work abroad, because there are no jobs available for them that pays well.

Simply put, education, talents and skills are way underutilised.

hmm i dunno how this proposal is any different from what the government is doing now. you see, that is the 'status quo' which has been in effect for practically more than 2 decades since the 1987 Charter was adopted. and it endorses the very same things you are proposing: the creation of a 'nationalist' or 'insular economy' that does not rely on foreign investments, which it has done so by imposing harsh restrictions on FDIs (either through total ban on certain industries or minority ownership). so thats like saying our economy right now is in the best shape and that this policy is working. but is it really? you yourself said how thousands of talented and skilled graduates opt to work abroad because there are no jobs at home, much less a job that pays well. And this is all because we have a weak / non-capital intensive private sector with very few players, so that those few family conglomerates engaged in the banking sector, are the same few players in the retail, utilities, and other sectors. :lol: i dont even wanna get started on how the lack of competition affects prices, quality, the need to invest and innovate, etc. But what's clear is that this insular economy can not support job creation on its own, hence the OFW phenomenon. :cheers:

I believe these, even myself isn't really seing all these to happen in Aquino's term (who knows if these would be noticed if he gets a second term). Aquino's winning point is to rid of corruption and is what he is really delivering more or less aside from job creation but I do doubt if any of these bosos, the politicians... are focusing on economic laws. It was overlooked during Arroyo's term, I don't see Pnoy would see the same. Infact, listening to the previous candidates in the last Presidential elections, none of them really adressed this issue. It goes to show how weak filipino politicians/law makers when it comes to addressing the economic issues plaguing the country. Maybe we need a new talent? Perhaps a very successful businessman who is very well versed with International business trade and all?

OR someone who is outside the corrupt Manila/oligarchy establishment.. :cheers:

This ruling make the 60-40 restriction in our constitution ineffective. Anyway, if this will SC will help bring in more FDI, I think there is no problem with this.:)


Common shares basis for 60-40 rule, Court says



by Rey E. Requejo
Manila Standard Today
June 29, 2011


THE Supreme Court on Tuesday adopted a new definition of the term “capital” in public utilities that the Securities and Exchange will use to determine if companies violate the 40- percent cap on foreign ownership set out in the Constitution.

In an en banc decision written by Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, the Court ruled that the term “capital” in a public utility corporation refers only to the shares of stock entitled to vote in the election of directors—or the so-called common shares—and not to the total outstanding capital stock composed of common or voting shares and preferred or non-voting shares.

The Court also resolved to partially grant the petition of Wilson Gamboa, who challenged the sale of Philippine Telecommunications Investment Corp.’s 111,415 shares held by Prime Holdings Inc. in Philippine Long Telephone Company amounting to P25.217 billion, and on the basis that it violated the 40-percent limit on foreign ownership.

The Court also ordered the Securities and Exchange Commission to determine whether PLDT violated the 40-percent limit.

“Respondent, chairperson of the Securities and Exchange Commission, is directed to apply this definition of the term ‘capital’ in determining the extent of allowable foreign ownership in respondent Philippine
Long Distance Telephone Company, and if there is violation of... the Constitution, to impose appropriate sanctions under the law,” the Supreme Court said.

As a result of its ruling, the Court settled the issue on how the 60-40 participation of Filipinos and foreigners in public utilities such as PLDT will be reckoned.

Gamboa had argued that the sale of the shares of Philippine Telecommunications Investment Corp. to First Pacific Co. in 2007 violated the Constitution, which limits foreign ownership of domestic public utilities.

Justice Presbitero Velasco dissented from the majority ruling.

“The view that the definition of the word ‘capital’ is limited to common or voting shares alone would certainly have the effect of removing the 60-40 nationality requirement on the non-voting shares,” he said.

“This would then give rise to a situation wherein foreign interest would not really be limited to only 40 percent, but may even extend beyond that because foreigners could also own the entire 100 percent of the preferred or non-voting shares.

“As a result, Filipinos will no longer have effective ownership of the corporate assets which may include lands. This is because the actual Filipino equity constitutes only a minority of the entire outstanding capital stock.

“Therefore, the company would then be technically owned by foreigners, since the actual ownership of at least 60 percent of the entire outstanding capital stock would be left in the hands of the foreigners.”

sweet!!

Rice mechanization OKd
:cheers:


by Othel V. Campos
Manila Standard
June 29, 2011


The Agriculture Department has approved a six-year, P16-billion rice mechanization program that will increase production of the crop by as much as 10 percent annually.

The Philippine Center for Post-Harvest Development and Mechanization said it would implement the program from 2011 to 2016 to modernize the postharvest and mechanization processes on a large-scale basis.

“PhilMech is supporting [Agriculture] Secretary Proceso Alcala in attaining self-sufficiency in rice production, especially now that climate change and rising world food prices are expected to make an impact on world food supply,” :cheers:center director Ricardo Cachuela told reporters in a briefing Tuesday.

Mechanization and postharvest will be given second priority after irrigation under the government’s rice program.

The government plans to spend P9.5 billion for farm mechanization, P2.8 billion for drying, P3.2 billion for rice milling that will include provisions of a soft loan and the balance for project management.

The Agriculture Department will release P1 billion this year for the procurement of 4,000 units of various postharvest machineries. The program would have procured and distributed as much as 7,000 postharvest units and 90,000 units of on-farm machineries by 2016.

In addition, farmer associations, organizations and cooperatives will be given a chance to own their own farm machineries through a financing scheme in which 70 percent of the cost will be shouldered by the government.

The center will team up with farmer groups in the deployment of thousands of primary farm equipment like hand tractors, four-wheel tractors and threshers. The secondary machineries include seed cleaners, rice reaper, drum seeder, mini combine harvester and combine harvester.

Research conducted by the postharvest center shows that the mechanization level in the Philippines averaged just 0.52 horsepower per hectare.

The Philippines still ranks low among Asian countries in terms of overall agricultural mechanization. Japan tops Asian countries in farm mechanization with 7.0 hp; South Korea, 4.11 hp; China 3.88 hp; Pakistan, 1.02 hp; India 1.0 hp; Thailand, 0.79 hp; and Iran, 0.70 hp.

“The Philippines still has a lot of catching up to do in agricultural mechanization and postharvest. This program will help boost our level of mechanization and hopefully encourage the youth to engage in farming,” :cheers:said Cachuela.

^^ ganyan ang dapat na projects sa agriculture. hindi yung 700 million pesos worth of orchid fertilizer na ipamimigay sa rice farmers

^^ ganyan ang dapat na projects sa agriculture. hindi yung 700 million pesos worth of orchid fertilizer na ipamimigay sa rice farmers

:lol::lol::lol:

Headwinds intensifying

Business Insight - Malaya
By BENJAMIN DIOKNO
June 29, 2011

THE unprecedented fall in President Aquino’s net satisfaction rating – from +69 when he took office to +46 this June – did not come as a big surprise, representing a 13-point drop in net satisfaction. It is consistent with the results of Bangko Sentral’s two separate surveys on businessmen’s sentiment and consumer confidence.

In the Business Expectations Survey, the overall business sentiment fell from 43.9 percent (more optimists than pessimists) in the third quarter of 2010, when the euphoria of an Aquino presidency was at its peak, to 31.8 percent in the second quarter of 2011. That’s a 12.1 percentage points loss in overall sentiment in about a year.

In the Consumer Expectations Survey, consumer confidence which was negative (more pessimists than optimists) at -14 in the second quarter of 2010 became even more negative at -24.1 percent in the second quarter of 2011. That’s a 10.1 percentage points deterioration in consumer sentiment.

The worsening in the businessmen’s sentiment was attributed by respondents to three factors: first, rising prices of oil and other commodities; second, continuing geo-political tensions in the Middle East and North African (MENA) areas; and third, the triple tragedy (earthquake-tsunami-nuclear breakdowns) in Japan.

Firm owners and consumers lament the low disbursement of funds for infrastructure projects. What some see as a sign of fiscal frugality, others see as a sign of incompetence.

The decline in confidence is broad-based. The rising pessimism by firm owners cut across employment size -- from small- to medium- to large-sized companies.

But the bad news will not go away soon. Worse, the headwinds are gaining in strength. The US economy is going through more difficulties than originally anticipated. Several countries in Europe, but initially Greece, are going through hard times; fiscal austerity will be their mode of existence in the short-run and for many years to come.

In the US, the Federal Reserve officials downgraded their assessment of the US economy. The economy is now expected to grow ‘somewhat more slowly’ than previously expected --from 3.1 to 3.3 percent to 2.7 to 2.9 percent this year and from 3.5 to 4.2 next year to 3.3% to 3.7% next year.

Core inflation (price changes less the impact of food and gas prices) is expected to remain higher than previously thought, making the Fed less inclined to inject more liquidity into the financial system. As a result, monetary authorities are sticking to their plans to end the purchase of $600 billion in US Treasurys as planned on June 30. They are also expected to keep short-term interest rates at near zero for at least several more months.

But not everything is gloom and doom. There’s good news on the gas prices. Gas prices are expected to hit around $86 dollars per barrel in response to the decision of the International Energy Agency (IEA) to release 60 million barrels of oil from the strategic reserves into the market. About half of the 60 million barrels would come from the US, 30 percent from Europe, and 20 percent from Asian countries.

For the Philippines, it doesn’t matter why the IEA or the US is releasing more oil from the 1.6 billion barrels of emergency reserves into the market. One view is that it is designed to offset the loss of supply coming from embattled Libya. The other more plausible view is that it is being done to support Obama’s reelection. With the Fed seemingly helpless and shy to pursue a more expansionary policy in the light of the US’ worsening debt problem, Mr. Obama has to do something to make life a bit more livable in the US. The move is like a tax cut on petroleum products without the need for congressional action. But it is double-edged; if analysts see the use of the emergency reserves as an act of desperation, it might boomerang.

As an aside, lower oil prices is good for Filipino consumers (while the impact of the release of emergency reserves works), but bad for the government, specifically for the Bureau of Customs, and generally for the government’s plan to reduce the budget deficit.

In the meantime, unemployment in the US remains serious, while the housing market continues to be weak.

But what has the fragility of the U.S. economy got to do with the Philippine economy? A lot. One of ten Filipinos has a relative working or living in the US. Many Filipino-Americans are out of jobs and have lost their homes. The continuing weakness in the US economy means lower trade with, lower remittances from, and less job opportunities for Filipinos (especially nurses) to work in the US.

In the face of these intensifying headwinds, it boggles my mind where Mr. Aquino’s economic managers are getting their rosy prognosis for the economy. For the 2012 budget, they are targeting a GDP growth rate of 7 to 8 percent. Come on, gentlemen, let’s get real.

Even the lower 5.5 to 6.5 percent growth rate, for revenue forecasting purposes, is on the high side. I think the lower growth projection becomes realistic only if GDP growth this year slows to around 4.5 percent.

I hope this optimism is not the result of Mr. Aquino’s revealed aversion to "bad" news and bearers of "bad" news. But if "good" news is what he wants, that’s what he’ll get, no matter how bad the real state of affairs is.

The finance authorities have gone one step further and predicted that the Philippines will get an upgrade to investment grade by 2013. Brave words. But brave words don’t translate into strong performance without clear, practical and bold strategy.

A ratings upgrade will remain a dream unless the government is willing to impose new taxes and undertake a comprehensive tax reform program that will transform the existing tax system into a simpler, fairer, higher-yielding and more responsive one.

Pussyfooting around this comprehensive tax reform until 2013 won’t do the job. By then, Mr. Aquino’s allies in Congress will be more preoccupied with getting reelected rather than reforming the tax system.

Pangilinan fears SC ruling on PLDT shares to hurt stock market :ohno:

By: Riza T. Olchondra
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Wednesday, June 29th, 2011

MANILA, Philippines – Forcing foreign shareholders to divest a significant portion of PLDT common shares could wreak havoc on the company’s financial health as well as that of the local capital market, company chairperson Manuel V. Pangilinan said on the sidelines of the Philex Mining Corp. stockholders meeting.

Pangilinan also heads the mining company’s board of directors.

PLDT shares dropped by P75 Wednesday and the Philippine Stock Exchange index slipped 40.64 points or 0.95 percent to 4,249.35 following news that the Supreme Court ordered the Securities and Exchange Commission to determine the maximum allowable foreign ownership in PLDT, whose major shareholders include Hong Kong’s First Pacific Co. Ltd. and Japan’s NTT Communications and NTT DoCoMo.

Pangilinan and PLDT spokesman Ramon Isberto, who was present on the sidelines of the Philex event, both said the telecommunications company had not received a copy of the Supreme Court decision.

However, Pangilinan told reporters, that the Supreme Court order, if implemented, would translate to the sale of 24 percent of PLDT’s common shares worth about P110 billion, Pangilinan said.

“There would be a tremendous selling pressure [of PLDT shares],” Pangilinan said. “It will tank.”

As of last count, Pangilinan said that 87 percent of the company’s shares were Filipino owned if common and preferred shares were counted together. However, PLDT’s common shares are 64-percent foreign owned.

“If you want to bring it down to 40 percent, who will sell? How do you tell investors to sell? And who can buy?” Pangilinan said.

Pangilinan also noted that part of PLDT’s appeal to shareholders has been the stock’s “liquidity,” aided by the common and preferred capital structure that has enabled foreign shareholders to easily buy and sell the common shares.

PLDT comprises about 30 percent of the stock market index, according to analysts.

“We don’t want to raise the alarm until we see the decision but if that’s true, definitely, that’s not good for business. Not only is it not good for PLDT but other companies as well with similar share structure. Also, it’s bad considering that the Philippines would be accused again of being erratic. It would dampen the investment appetite, not only for the market but also for long-term, foreign direct investments. This should be clarified,” Astro del Castillo, managing director of brokerage and investment advisory firm First Grade Holdings, said in a phone interview.

The prospect of foreign shareholders being forced to divest is “disappointing” for him “as a Filipino.” If such a ruling was implemented, he said, it would have a negative impact “here and abroad.” Pangilinan said it was also disappointing since the common and preferred share capital structure was something that the present management of PLDT simply inherited.

“PLDT has lived with this capital structure,” Pangilinan said, and pointed out that the set-up was believed to be “legal and valid” up until recently.

Pangilinan said that depending on how the reported ruling read, “It is a game changing rule” if it was really adverse to the Securities and Exchange’s position on the common and preferred shares.

“Why are they committing economic suicide?” Pangilinan mused. He said certain listed companies have been in the same situation as PLDT.

There would be adverse impact if such companies were discovered by the market, Pangilinan said. The market would be significantly affected in a negative way, Pangilinan said. “Is that what we want to happen?” he said.

Meanwhile, Philex Mining Corp. may be in for new record earnings for 2011 as its first-half performance seemed likely to beat that of the same period in 2010, Pangilinan said.

The country’s largest miner reported record revenue of P13.4 billion and net income of P3.9 billion in 2010.

Philex would announce its earnings guidance for 2011 when it releases its second-quarter report, Pangilinan said.

Mixed signals :ohno:

The Daily Tribune
FRONTLINE
Ninez Cacho-Olivares
June 30, 2011

It’s been a full year of the Aquino presidency. He is being weighed, and found wanting, with the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP), as well as some political analysts giving Noynoy anywhere from barely passing marks to failing marks for his performance in office.

Of course some of his allies give him high marks, something like 88 percent from ally Sen. Ralph Recto, although there was that warning issued by him that the “learning time” was over and that Noynoy and his administration should start producing results, which really is no different from saying that in his first year in office, Noynoy failed to perform.

Palafox, MAP head, was quoted as saying that the Noynoy government has not effectively addressed increasing corruption, along with problems in the tourism and trading sectors, which translates to his not having delivered on his promises stated during his inauguration, especially on the claimed daang matuwid and kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap.

“The developers are complaining, it (corruption) is getting worse... the per square meter cost of corruption,” Palafox said, adding that “in infrastructure, some contractors are still complaining, especially in pork barrel (projects). The 20 percent S.O.P. is still there. Some importers shared it takes longer to get their goods released. In tourism, we don’t see anything yet.”

Minority Leader Edcel Lagman said that Filipinos should brace for the worst because their “mistaken choice” for President over a year ago was “the big problem,” and that blunder begets disaster.

Lagman was quoted as saying that voters expected too much from Noynoy as his slogans and promises in the presidential campaign “concealed and overshadowed his inadequacies.”

Lagman saif that despite Noynoy’s allergy to bad news, he must be made aware repeatedly that virtually all principal economic and social indicators of growth and progress are down, just like his plunging popularity and trust ratings,” said Lagman, describing Noynoy’s slogan as “a relic of partisan sloganeering and faulty premise.”

He said investor and consumer confidence are on the decline due to disappointment in his leadership despite glowing budget statistics that he said were unsustainable.

Others, such as Palafox, say that Noynoy should be credited for his honesty and integrity.

“In honesty and integrity, we believe he is sincere. But some of the people around him may not be on the same page. Presidents come and go, corrupt politicians come and go, but institutions will always be there.”

This kind of reasoning always baffles me personally as it tends to improperly shield and excuse the president — whoever he or she is — from the corruption that is all around the presidency.

One recalls that during the earlier Marcos years, what most people were saying then was that it wasn’t he who was corrupt, but his wife Imelda, since Marcos was thrifty while Imelda was extravagant.

In much the same way, during Cory’s watch, the same was being said: Cory was honest and incorruptible, even when her government was corrupt.

Yet it stands to reason that if the leader, or the president, is incorruptible and honest, then obviously the president wouldn’t stand for any corrupt activities and not protect the corrupt and the law breaker.

But even in the case of Cory, it was no secret that not only her Kamag-Anak Inc. was making a lot of hay while the Cory sun shines, but also many of her official family members. Yet she never stopped them from their activities, and in many instances, even allowed some of them to buy up sequestered properties for a song. And admit it or not, when she was president, many of her official acts benefited her and her family members.

The same thing is now being said of Noynoy, as though he were yet another sainted president. So it must then be asked: How can integrity and honesty thrive in the face of so much rising corruption in his government and in the face of his penchant for absolving his Kaibigan, Kaklase and Kabarilan?

The data shows otherwise however like I said it is good to be competitive.

Pare this might give you an idea:

From the Financial Times:

Vietnam: investors losing patience
June 28, 2011 2:05 pm by Ben Bland

“Vietnam has a lot of potential,” the Vietnamese country head of a large American company told beyondbrics recently. “But it had a lot of potential 10 years ago and it’ll still have a lot of potential in ten year’s time.”

His attitude is typical of a growing number of international investors in Vietnam who have become frustrated by the ongoing financial instability and apparent inability of the government to drive through much-needed reforms in a timely fashion.

The macro-economic situation is challenging enough with annual inflation over 20 percent and the government facing big trade and budget deficits at a time when foreign currency reserves have shrunk to less than two months of imports.

But investors also have a long list of sector-based gripes, from power companies unhappy with unprofitably low electricity prices to hoteliers perturbed by Vietnam’s reluctance to ease its restrictive visa policy.

At a bi-annual meeting between the government and the private sector last month, one foreign investor after another stood up to pour forth their grievances. These veteran Vietnam investors were well aware that the government, represented at this forum by investment minister Vo Hong Phuc, prefers to discuss sensitive subjects behind closed doors. But they let fly regardless, in a sign of their sheer frustration trumping their usual pragmatism.

Economists, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund have welcomed the government’s efforts to stabilise the economy in the short term via a package of fiscal and monetary tightening measures known as Resolution 11.

But investors are not so convinced that this fire-fighting approach will pave the way for necessary structural changes such as more independence for the central bank, reforms of bloated state-owned enterprises and cuts to inefficient public investment projects.

There remains widespread scepticism about the government’s apparently Damascene conversion from a focus on growth to stability, as summed up in a recent note to clients by Citi:

While monetary policy will need to manage the growth-inflation tradeoff, given the government’s poor track record of sustaining policy tightening in recent history, we think the market (and ourselves) remain wary that commitment to macro stability could prematurely ease the moment headline inflation comes off, and like before, unhinge expectations on the dong and inflation.

The challenges facing Vietnam are profound. Even if the government does have the political will to tackle vested interests in the state-owned enterprises, ministries and provinces, it will still likely take years to resolve these complex issues.

The Vietnam bulls argue that, as in other frontier markets, if you want to benefit from rapid growth in Vietnam, you have to adopt a long-term view and take the rough with the smooth.

But, in the five-star hotels and fancy restaurants of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, the mood among the foreign money men is not good.

Oliver Massmann, a German lawyer who is one of a few foreigners in Hanoi who speak fluent Vietnamese, argues that the problem is partly one of expectations: some hope for too much too soon while others are too quick to write off a country that has come through tough times in the past.

“The outside world has always under-estimated and over-estimated Vietnam,” says Massmann, a partner at Duane Morris.

But even he believes that Vietnam is losing its reputation as an attractive investment destination and that the government must “walk the talk” or risk losing out once the free trade agreement between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations creates a level-playing field across the region from 2015.

“Vietnam must speed up reform or it will be left behind,” he says.


Source: http://blogs.ft.com/beyond-brics/2011/06/28/vietnam-investors-losing-patience/#ixzz1QgAbgSGX

-dp-

This ruling make the 60-40 restriction in our constitution ineffective. Anyway, if this will SC will help bring in more FDI, I think there is no problem with this.:)


Common shares basis for 60-40 rule, Court says


THE Supreme Court on Tuesday adopted a new definition of the term “capital” in public utilities that the Securities and Exchange will use to determine if companies violate the 40- percent cap on foreign ownership set out in the Constitution.

In an en banc decision written by Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, the Court ruled that the term “capital” in a public utility corporation refers only to the shares of stock entitled to vote in the election of directors—or the so-called common shares—and not to the total outstanding capital stock composed of common or voting shares and preferred or non-voting shares.

hey, i heard this on the news on ChannelNewsAsia a while ago saying that the total foreign equity of PLDT is now 49%? i didnt quite hear the whole story, but the report sounded positive. hehe! Yes, a lot of those restrictions in the constitution are ineffective and they have to be amended and updated to today's economic realities. and while we're at it, we can extend the same ruling on other industries specially MEDIA :lol::D

but seriously, im hoping for a positive outcome for this ownership case of PLDT and hopefully it will be in favor of Pangilinan and First Pacific. Who knows, another player might enter and break the duopoly in the telecom industry with this ruling favouring foreign investors :cheers:

Pare this might give you an idea:

From the Financial Times:

Vietnam: investors losing patience
June 28, 2011 2:05 pm by Ben Bland

“Vietnam has a lot of potential,” the Vietnamese country head of a large American company told beyondbrics recently. “But it had a lot of potential 10 years ago and it’ll still have a lot of potential in ten year’s time.”

Interesting. i just hope that in 10-20 years time, if this forum will still be around hehe, we won't be discussing and arguing about Cambodia or Laos economy. :lol::jk:

Interesting. i just hope that in 10-20 years time, if this forum will still be around hehe, we won't be discussing and arguing about Cambodia or Laos economy. :lol::jk:

^^
I like this one... :cheers:

Add East Timor too.. :)

It is sad, indeed.

^^

60-40 is no longer effective and suited sa time ngayon. So, NEED na talaga na baguhin at iimprove ang ilan sa mga provisions ng ating Saligang Batas particularly sa Economy. Otherwise, mapag-iwanan na talaga tayo!

CHANGE is POWER!

I hope The Philippines is not ending up being a laggard the fact the stocks fell yesterday while the stocks of other Asian countries rose.

I hope The Philippines is not ending up being a laggard the fact the stocks fell yesterday while the stocks of other Asian countries rose.

right now it's doing ok almost up 0.85% or 36+ points. so no need to worry

Concrete action sought with groundwork laid
Posted on June 30, 2011 12:42:53 AM


CONCRETE REFORMS are now expected from the government, businessmen said as they noted efforts by President Benigno S. C. Aquino III to lay the groundwork for his pledges to grow the economy and combat corruption.

Mr. Aquino, who convincingly won the elections in May 2010 on a campaign promise to end poverty by fighting corruption, marks one year in office today.

“We believe that the basis for more rapid development has been created in the first year but turning that into action will make the difference,” Henry Schumacher, European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines executive vice-president, told BusinessWorld yesterday.

“The same is true for fighting corruption: some progress has been made, but it will require more resolve to succeed in government and in the private sector,” Mr. Schumacher added.

Peter Angelo V. Perfecto, Makati Business Club (MBC) executive director, said in a telephone interview that, “The first year of [the Aquino] presidency was mostly foundation work, cleaning up, and reviewing, but definitely in the second year, we expect much more action.”

“Much has been done in terms of groundwork, and a lot of agencies have been working with us in our own anti-corruption drive called the Integrity Initiative,” he added.

The MBC executive, however, said he was somewhat disappointed with the government’s delivery of justice.

“We’re aware that there have been 80 cases filed by the Customs bureau, which now requires, on our part, close monitoring, but we have to move much faster in the second year,” Mr. Perfecto said.

“One thing we always say is we want things to move forward with the catch a big fish campaign whether it’s tax evasion or corruption, government or private sector official,” he noted.

“We expect in the second year that ideally, someone is thrown in jail, but not just some low-ranking official but a high-profile important person, because we have to send a clear message that we’re serious about this.”

Similarly, the Federation of Philippine Industries (FPI) Chairman Jesus L. Arranza said the business group was largely supportive of Mr. Aquino. Still, he said the country’s chief executive needed to exercise stronger leadership.

“Members of FPI are satisfied [with his government], and the areas of disagreement are with specific departments and officials, but by and large, there are no complaints,” Mr. Arranza said in a telephone interview.

“Anti-corruption projects are best done by setting a good example, and he is a successful leader in that way, but he has to become a firmer leader so that he can call for needed investigations on whoever is accused of such, whether he is a friend or foe,” he added.

The businessmen said they also recognized the administration’s efforts to prepare the country for growth and development. To make the progress sustainable, however, they tressed the need to roll out infrastructure projects under the centerpiece public-private partnership (PPP) program within schedule.

“It is understandable for the new administration to be reviewing some inherited contracts, but in the second year [of his presidency] we are expecting the PPP to move forward to sustain the momentum of our growth rates,” Mr. Perfecto said.

Mr. Schumacher concurred, saying “the product still needs to be improved.”

Finally, they suggested that Mr. Aquino push key legislation against corruption and unfair business competition.

“We think the Whistle Blower’s Bill and the Freedom of Information Act should at least be part of President Aquino’s next set of priority bills,” Mr. Perfecto said.

Mr. Arranza, for his part, said: “We need to fast-track amendments in the customs and tariff law through the Anti-Smuggling Bill, because we are losing P120 billion to smuggling every year.”

“We also have to put more teeth to Executive Order 45 [designating the Justice department as competition authority] by having a full-blown legislation against cartels, monopolies, and oligopolies to promote a level playing field in all industries,” he added.

http://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?section=TopStory&title=Concrete-action-sought-with-groundwork-laid&id=33946

EU-Philippines trade in 2010 increased by +34%, the highest in 10 years (http://positivenewsmedia.ca/am2/publish/Business_19/EU-Philippines_trade_in_2010_increased_by_34_the_highest_in_10_years.shtml)

MANILA, June 30 (PNA) -- Trade in goods between the European Union and the Philippines increased by +34% to € 9.1 billion in 2010, the highest growth rate in over ten years, and signalled a return to pre-crisis levels of trade.

European Union Ambassador Guy Ledoux made this announcement following the release of the EU-Philippines Trade Factfile of 2010.

Ambassador Ledoux said the increase was attributed to the recovery of the EU and the Philippine economies from the global economic crisis, registering 2010 GDP growth of 1.8 percent and 7.6 percent, respectively.

He also said that Philippine exports to the EU rebounded by 40 percent to € 5.4 billion, while EU exports to the Philippines rebounded by 26 percent to € 3.7 billion. As a result, the Philippines ' trade surplus with the EU nearly doubled to € 1.6 billion in 2010.

This growth has once more confirmed the EU as the Philippines ' fourth largest trading partner while the Philippines improved its rank among EU trading partners from 47 in 2009 to 42 in 2010.

Electronics account for the bulk of the Philippine trade with the EU, but other manufactures and agricultural trade have also been growing in importance. Specifically, both manufactured and agricultural trade enjoyed strong double-digit growth rates of 34 percent and 48 percent, respectively.

While EU-Philippines trade in services is more modest, with exports and imports roughly in balance and stable at € 2.2 billion in 2009, there is potential for further growth. More specifically, the Philippines is being ranked 2nd only to India as a business process off-shoring destination while Europe is considered the world's largest off-shoring market.

In terms of foreign direct investment, the EU is the largest investor in the Philippines, with a total stock of € 6.6 billion or a share of about 38 percent in total FDI stock in the Philippines. EU-FDI flows in the Philippines have remained positive despite the 2007/8 economic crisis and have been standing at € 255 million in 2009 (latest available figures).

The Philippines has also identified investment opportunities in the European Union, which is the world’s largest economy and biggest market– they have cumulatively invested some €1.4 billion in the EU as of 2009, which is equivalent to nearly a third of the €4.4 billion ($ 6.1 billion) of total stock of Philippines ' FDI.

The EU is also the third largest recipient of land-based migrant Filipinos numbering some 660,000 as of 2009. Together with an estimated 120,000 Filipino seafarers who are manning European ships, they have sent € 2 billion ($ 2.6 billion) of remittances to the Philippines in 2010, which makes the EU the second largest source of remittances to the Philippines after the United States .

Finally, with 297,000 EU visitors, the EU was the fifth largest source of tourists (after South Korea, USA, Japan, ASEAN) to the Philippines in 2010.(PNA)
fpv/BAC/mec

Philippine GDP, property to extend gains fueled by BPOs (http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/business/06/29/11/philippine-gdp-property-extend-gains-fueled-bpos)
by Coco Alcuaz, ANC
Posted at 06/30/2011 12:09 AM | Updated as of 06/30/2011 12:09 AM


MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine economy will extend its gains as call center and other business process outsourcing (BPO) revenue rise, interest rates stay low, and President Benigno Aquino boosts investor confidence.

Rick Santos, Philippine chairman of property services company CB Richard Ellis, said economic growth is fueling the demand for office space and property in general.

"People are talking about BPO revenues surpassing remittances, which is an amazing stat considering this industry was basically at zero 10, 12 years ago," Santos said at a briefing in Makati. "Lower government spending affected some of the GDP stats but the domestic economy is still performing well."

"Every foreign investor that we talk to has good things to say about the administration," said Santos, also a vice-president of the American Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines. "President Aquino was the No. 1 choice of foreign investors. Things aren’t perfect, but investors see a very clear upcycle for the next 4 or 5 years."

Santos said demand for Philippine office space will rise because rents in other Asian cities are as much 14 times higher than in Manila.

He said U.S. companies continue to downsize, which means they'll outsource more jobs to countries like the Philippines. He said there's even greater take-up of office space here than in better known business hubs.

"Office take-up will well exceed 300,000 square meters this year," he said. "We see that as a huge metric whereas places like Singapore, who also have a very hot market, take up there is just about 150,000 square meters. So were looking at office take up in the Philippines double that of a place like Singapore."

^^+1

^^Woohoo...more office buildings in the country!

Philippine GDP, property to extend gains fueled by BPOs (http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/business/06/29/11/philippine-gdp-property-extend-gains-fueled-bpos)
by Coco Alcuaz, ANC
Posted at 06/30/2011 12:09 AM | Updated as of 06/30/2011 12:09 AM

"Every foreign investor that we talk to has good things to say about the administration," said Santos, also a vice-president of the American Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines. "President Aquino was the No. 1 choice of foreign investors. Things aren’t perfect, but investors see a very clear upcycle for the next 4 or 5 years."

Santos said demand for Philippine office space will rise because rents in other Asian cities are as much 14 times higher than in Manila.

He said U.S. companies continue to downsize, which means they'll outsource more jobs to countries like the Philippines. He said there's even greater take-up of office space here than in better known business hubs.


Great! now we just have to work on lowering those electricity rates :lol::cheers:

now, if the environmentalists wouldn't mind.. i see that 8 of the total 15 oil and gas fields that are up for grabs are in PALAWAN! :lol::cheers:

DOE: $7.5-B investment potential in 15 oil and gas fields offered
06/30/2011 | 09:02 PM


Three onshore and 12 offshore oil and gas exploration areas have been presented to prospective investors in the biggest energy contracting round the Department of Energy has launched so far.

Energy Secretary Jose Rene Almendras said Thursday at $500 million for each service contract, the total investment potential of the 4th Philippine Energy Contracting Round (PECR 4) is $7.5 billion. The contract areas cover at least 10 million hectares that could hold rich reserves in northwest Palawan, east Palawan and the Sulu Sea.

Almendras said the contracts could be awarded by early next year, giving interested investors at least five months to conduct their studies. He added that the PCER 4 is a significant component of the Aquino administration's energy self-sufficiency program.

DOE estimates that the country has tapped only about 10 percent of the potential oil and gas reserves in its territory.

International energy exploration firms that attended DOE roadshows in Australia and Singapore have expressed interest in tendering bids.

DOE Undersecretary Jay Layug earlier revealed that most of the prospective investors are keen on three contract areas in Northwest Palawan where oil and gas have been confirmed.

The country's first natural gas field, Malampaya, is in northwest Palawan and has gas reserves estimated at 970 billion cubic, 43.9 million barrels of condensate and 1.9 million barrels of oil.

Four cancelled service contracts in the Sulu Sea are among the 15 fields the DOE offered in PECR 4.

The 15 PECR 4 service contract zones are:

Area 1 (544,000 hectares) in Cagayan

Area 2 (676,000) in Central Luzon

Area 3 (600,000) in Northwest Palawan

Area 4 (616,000) Northwest Palawan

Area 5 (424,000) Northwest Palawan

Area 6 (840,000) in Mindoro Cuyo

Area 7 (844,000) in Mindoro Cuyo

Area 8 (840,000) in East Palawan

Area 9 (840,000) in East Palawan

Area 10 (640,000) in East Palawan

Area 11 (600,000) in Cotabato

Area 12 (456,000) in Cotabato

Area 13 (648,000) in East Palawan

Area 14 (983,900) in East Palawan and

Area 15 (482,000) in Sulu Sea.

At the launch were officials of Petro Energy Resources Corp., PNOC-Exploration Corp., Pitkin Petroleum and Philodrill Corp. BGP Inc. Also present were representatives of Polyard Petroleum Int’l. Co. Ltd., Shell Philippines Exploration BV, Star Energy, Supply Oilfield Services Inc., and Tap Oil. Ltd.

Venturoil Phil. Inc. Palawan Sulu Sea Gas Inc., Galoc Production Inc. Gibeon Integration Systems PTE Ltd. and Great Treasures Alliances Int’l. also attended the launch.

Officials of Logistics Marketing Phils. Inc., Nido Petroleum Ltd., Norasian Energy Ltd., Oriental Petroleum & Minerals Corp., Chevron Malampaya Phils. LLC, China Union Global Holdings Ltd., Forum Energy PLC, Basic Energy, and One Asia Oil & Gas Corp. were also at the launch.

http://www.gmanews.tv/story/224924/business/doe-75-b-investment-potential-in-15-oil-and-gas-fields-offered

@manileno - That won't happen without either acquiring Nuclear power or build hectares of solar or wind farms. Coal plants should be a last resort, the effects of climate change far outsets all the achievements of our economy in it's entire history.

now, if the environmentalists wouldn't mind.. i see that 8 of the total 15 oil and gas fields that are up for grabs are in PALAWAN! :lol::cheers:

These are offshore anyway. The concern in Palawan is sacrificing the mountains and forests for the minerals therein.

These are offshore anyway. The concern in Palawan is sacrificing the mountains and forests for the minerals therein.

good. so i guess there's no reason to be bothered then with the unilateral agenda of this family empire? hehe! :D

I mean, i understand the need to preserve the mountains and forests in Palawan, particularly those that have been declared Natural Parks onshore or inland, including some offshore marine areas too like Tubbataha Reef (already a natural park), and El Nido and Coron seascapes. Also the whole Puerto Princesa should be protected. But what i wont allow is the TOTAL BAN on 'responsible' large scale mining in the whole Palawan, specifically in Malampaya Sound, "the atolls of Kalayaan" and other offshore areas identified in the No2MininginPalawan.com article below that could jeopardize our government's goal of achieving those record investments and record economic growth. :cheers:

http://no2mininginpalawan.com/2011/04/02/the-challenges-for-the-palawan-biosphere-reserve-in-dealing-with-climate-change-romeo-b-dorado-oic-executive-director/

@manileno - That won't happen without either acquiring Nuclear power or build hectares of solar or wind farms. Coal plants should be a last resort, the effects of climate change far outsets all the achievements of our economy in it's entire history.

Speaking of coal plants, a new one just opened recently in Cebu with PNOY attending the inauguration of the Korean energy project amid protests from environmentalists. i just want to share what he told those protesters in his speech. :lol:

"We need to strike a balance. Would you prefer not to have power, or deal with concerns on coal ash which can be monitored and addressed?" - Aquino

With Europe being skeptical in dealing investment with our gov. while banging heads with China on Spartly issue using U.S. and yet U.S. as we know has their own deep rooted economic problems. Where to go, Middle East?

Yan ang problema sa padalos-dalos na kilos nang gobiyerno sa huli kakainin na naman nila ang unang mga desisyon. Flip-Flopping to be na naman yan.

'PH turning off investors by renegotiating contracts'

by Coco Alcuaz and Warren de Guzman, ANC
Posted at 07/01/2011 2:31 AM | Updated as of 07/01/2011 11:21 AM


MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines is turning off investors by trying to scrap or revise the terms of contracts for projects such a Roll-on Roll-off (RORO) port project and a Laguna Bay dredging, said European Chamber of Commerce President Hubert d’Aboville.

"Are we welcoming today the investors? Are we telling them you are going to invest 500 million euros, welcome for the next 20 years?" D’Aboville said in an ANC’s The Economy and The President forum. "The investor needs at least 20 years security, and today I am afraid they don't see that.’’

President Benigno Aquino this month ordered the cancelation of a Belgian project to dredge part of Laguna Bay, the renegotiation of a French port construction contract, and the review of a Chinese rail project.

The Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) is also renegotiating the terms of Metro Pacific Investments Corp.’s Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) contract.

All were signed before Aquino took office a year ago.

In 2003, his predecessor Gloria Arroyo got the Supreme Court to nullify the contract of a group including Frankfurt-based Fraport AG to build Terminal 3 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, saying terms were changed after the contract was signed by her predecessor, Joseph Estrada.

Fraport and the group hauled the government to arbitration, where they remain.

"They see that we are more talking about a 5-year term,’’ D’Aboville said. "So one government after another government after another government, and then the contract may be questioned. So when you sign the contract , it should be written in marble. It must be good for 20 years. I think we should go out of the concept of one government 5-year term. We should think Philippines Inc. If you invest hundreds of millions of dollars or euro, you have to think that you are investing long term in the country.’’

He said he’s been told that Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario will meet him to disclose certain information about the contracts. He said he hasn’t heard from Del Rosario yet.

Investment concerns may make it tougher for the Philippines to bid out infrastructure projects it calls Public-Private Partnerships. It already attracts one of the least foreign direct investment (FDI) among South East Asian nations and FDI fell in the first months of the year.

"The bright spot is PPP; biggest challenge, PPP," said Aurelio Montinola, president of Bank of the Philippine Islands. "In the end, if we can pull it together, we're going to get infrastructure and power, which is going to be very helpful for the country. And it will also solve the credibility issue with regard to FDI, which is a big stumbling block.''

The government plans to bid out 10 infrastructure projects this year and more in succeeding years, though it’s postponing the first, the contract to run MRT2-LRT1

SOURCE: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/business/06/30/11/ph-turning-investors-renegotiating-contracts

^^ Good thing the lag in FDI is somehow compensated by locals.


BOI, PEZA hook P260-B investments in Jan.-May (http://www.gmanews.tv/story/224938/business/boi-peza-hook-p260-b-investments-in-jan-may)
07/01/2011 | 12:46 AM

The Board of Investments (BOI) and the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) together have approved in the first five months a total of P259.94 billion in investment pledges, up by 189 percent compared to the P90 billion approved investments generated in the same period last year.

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) reported the sharp rise in investments in January to May had come mostly from Filipino companies. For May 2011 alone, combined BOI and PEZA investment approvals increased by 492 percent to P67.94 billion as compared to the P11.48 billion generated in May last year.

For its part alone, the BOI recorded a 338 percent increase in approved local and foreign direct investments (FDIs) to P191.35 billion from P43.65 billion.

Similarly, PEZA itself posted a 48 percent increase in investments to P68.59 billion in the first five months of the year from P46.35 billion compared to the same period last year.

Both government agencies attributed the rise in investments to local investors who have committed investments worth P224.57 billion, which comprise 86 percent of total investment approvals. Foreign investors, on the other hand, contributed a total of P35.37 billion or 14 percent.

The 390 approved projects are expected to create 74,266 additional jobs when fully operational, a 76 percent increase from last year’s 42,105. — MRT/VS, GMA News

bigyan pa raw ng time.....anak ng bread....time para ano para lalo pang palpakin ang ekonomiya?

6 Govt agencies submit competitiveness programs
FRIDAY, 01 JULY 2011 02:38

SIX agencies have already fleshed out their respective programs with corresponding numerical targets and time frames that will help improve the country’s competitiveness rankings.

These are the departments of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Transportation and Communications (DOTC), Health (DOH) and Education (DepEd), Philippine National Police (PNP) and Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR). They presented their programs to the National Competitiveness Council (NCC) and the media on Thursday.

Guillermo Luz, NCC cochairman for the private sector, said they made up the first batch of agencies that formulated their road maps and scorecards: 12 more agencies expected to follow suit within the year.

“We would like to add six agencies per quarter until all the major government agencies are in,” Luz said.

Those that are currently working on their road maps and scorecards are the departments of Social Welfare and Development, Budget and Management, Trade and Industry, Interior and Local Government, Agriculture, Civil Service Commission, Securities and Exchange Commission, Bureau of Customs, Philippine Army, Maritime Industry Authority, Philippine Navy and the National Economic and Development Authority.

Public Works Undersecretary Raul Asia said among the agency’s targets are the 98-percent paving of national arterial road network by 2013 and 100 percent by 2016, and increasing the length of constructed expressway from the current 286 kilometers to 326 by 2011, 394 by 2013 and 518 by 2016. The DPWH also seeks to make permanent 94 percent of all bridges along arterial roads by the end of the year, 97 percent by 2013 and 100 percent by 2016.

Among the highlights of the DepEd targets as presented by Assistant Secretary Jesus Mateo are to achieve an 80-percent completion rate for elementary pupils and 85 percent for secondary students by 2013, basic education enrollment rate of 80 percent by 2013 and 90 percent by 2016. This will allow 93 percent of the population to be functionally literate by 2016.

The PNP, Sr. Supt. Jesus P. Gatchalian said, seeks to achieve a national index crime rate of 15.7 percent in 2011, 14.92 percent in 2013 and 14.17 percent in 2016. It also hopes to achieve a crime-solution efficiency of 22 percent by the end of the year, 24 percent in 2013 and 28.49 percent in 2016.

The PNP also wants to train 50 percent of its personnel with the required training needs by 2013.

The DOTC seeks to adopt and implement 95 percent of international conventions by the end of the year, and 100 percent in 2013. It hopes to achieve an annual 3 percent increase in revenues from 2011 to 2016, post a 1.3:1 ratio of revenues to operation and maintenance expense, and a 1-percent rate of investment in transport infrastructure and services as a percentage to GDP.

Internal Revenue Commissioner Kim Heneres said the agency’s major programs for the year include the electronic taxpayer-information system, computer-assisted audit tools and technique system, registration-database cleanup, tax rulings and case management systems, run-after-tax-evaders program, Oplan Kandado program and the performance-management system. --Max de Leon

http://businessmirror.com.ph/home/top-news/13183-6-govt-agencies-submit-competitiveness-programs

i hope these press releases turn to reality.......... typical philippines kwentong barbero for most of it

according to Goldman Sachs The Philippines will become the 14th largest economy not 19 anymore by 2050 and we will surpass South Korea. W0w..:banana:

read it here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_list_of_ten_largest_countries_by_GDP

according to Goldman Sachs The Philippines will become the 14th largest economy not 19 anymore by 2050 and we will surpass South Korea. W0w..:banana:

read it here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_list_of_ten_largest_countries_by_GDP

Nice wiki item! Anything other than wiki on these projections?

Metro office space vacancy shrinks (http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/324767/metro-office-space-vacancy-shrinks)
Demand from BPO firms strong
By BERNIE CAHILES-MAGKILAT
June 30, 2011, 1:23am

MANILA, Philippines — Office space vacancy rate in Metro Manila is going down to an average of 2.0 percent by end this year and lease rates are on feverish rise as take up rate for office spaces is now back to its high in 2007 on strong OFW remittances, BPO and tourism sectors.

“We have not seen this kind of interest in the Philippines. So, we're going back to the Ramos time where people who were not here in 15 years are back in the country,” said Rick Santos, CEO and chairman of CB Richard Ellis, said during a press conference for its analysis on the real estate market in the first half of the year.

“The half year economy and property industry results bode well for Pnoy’s,” summed up the CBRE first half analysis.

According to Santos, the country’s office space take up could exceed 300,000 square meters this year, a lot higher than Singapore’s 150,000 square meter expected take up of office space for the year.

Santos cited the Philippines and the Asia Pacific countries’ very strong economic fundamentals.

“But the Philippines is more interesting because its lease rates are 12 times lower than Hong Kong’s,” Santos said.

Developments are concentrated for the BPO office space requirements, construction of malls and entertainment areas and tourism facilities.

Joey Rodovan, CBRE vice-chairman for global corporate services, reported the strong growth of BPO accounts for 10 percent of the 4.2 percent GDP in 2010.

Despite the rising rates of office leases, the Philippines has remained second lowest in Asia Pacific at $20.22 per square meter foot per annum. There are also rising new districts for BPOs.

“We have rising lease rates and falling vacancy in the office sector in all major Metro Manila business districts,” he said





-----------------

I Dream of the time we could surpass the riches nation in SEA that is Singapore...:banana::banana::banana:

Expect delays in NBI clearances :ohno:

Manila Standard Today
By Macon Ramos-Araneta
July 2, 2011

THE NBI on Friday warned applicants to expect a delay in the processing of their clearances after Mega Data Corp., the company that had been running the bureau’s computerized clearance processing system for the past 30 years, pulled out its software and hardware when its contract expired on June 30.

But Gerry Perdido, head of the National Bureau of Investigation’s Office of the Deputy Director for Technical Services, said officials would do their best to shorten any delays in the processing of NBI clearances.

“We will use our staff to replace the system, but we will not revert to the manual system because it will cause so much inconvenience to the public,” Perdido said.

“The NBI clearance is a vital need.”

The NBI releases about 22,000 clearances daily with help from its computers.

But Mega’s contract expired without being renewed after the Justice Department’s Separate Bids and Awards Committee failed to come up with the terms of reference required for bidding out a new contract for the service in October 2009.

NBI Director Magtanggol Gatdula had earlier said five firms joined the bidding: V.G. Roxas and Co Inc., Mega Data Corp., Total Information Management, Systems and Plan Integrator and Development Corp., and Data Trail Corp. But he said the Awards Committee issued a resolution on Sept. 27 last year declaring a failure of bidding.

Mega had been providing the NBI various computers, data capture, image capture and card production equipment and supplies to serve the bureau’s data-processing needs.

In a media advisory released yesterday, however, deputy director for Technical Services Rey Esmeralda said the bureau would be using a different system.

“We ask the public to bear with us during the transition state of our operations,” Esmeralda said.

He said applications for clearances would again be entertained on July 4 after the bureau stopped accepting them Friday.

according to Goldman Sachs The Philippines will become the 14th largest economy not 19 anymore by 2050 and we will surpass South Korea. W0w..:banana:

read it here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_list_of_ten_largest_countries_by_GDP

^^and Nigeria will be the 13th largest... :nuts:

Business group calls on gov't to strengthen SMEs
http://www.gmanews.tv/story/225118/business/business-group-calls-on-govt-to-strengthen-smes

Saying there is a need for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to be represented in the crafting of major economic policies, the National Economic Protectionism Association (NEPA) called on the government to have a proactive stance for their development and growth.

Noting that SMEs are the country’s lifeblood as it accounts 99 percent of all economic activities, NEPA President Bayan Dela Cruz said this sector deserves “more than a token attention that they are getting," adding that the formation of SME chamber could be a good start.

He reiterated his group's call to the Senate’s committee on trade and commerce and the House committee on small business and entrepreneurship development to expedite the formation of Chamber of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (CoSMEs).

“Among the most noteworthy suggestions coming from the consultations the NEPA has been doing is the creation of the CoSMEs. It must be noted that various chambers of commerce and industry in the country, especially those in the national level, have economic and business agenda far apart from those of the SME’s," he said.

He further stressed that creating a chamber of commerce and industry focused solely on the needs and interests of small entrepreneurs will help advance their concerns and hopefully have these concerns addressed front and center, Dela Cruz added.

He said there is a need to strengthen SMEs because while the sector accounts for at least 99 percent of the country’s total enterprise, it only provides at least 31 percent of the total economic output.

Dela Cruz then lauded the efforts of some lawmakers in advancing the interests of the SMEs through their various legislative endeavors.

“NEPA lauds and supports our legislators’ efforts, particularly those of Sen. Manny Villar and Cong. Teddy Casiño in their advance legislative efforts to raise the capabilities of the country’s SME’s as well as the micro and informal sectors of the economy in the light of greater pressure due to a globalized economy," Dela Cruz said. — LBG, GMA News

BSP sees strong capital inflows to continue
MANILA, Philippines - The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is convinced that foreign capital would continue to flood emerging markets like the Philippines due to economic uncertainties in advanced economies led by the US.

BSP Deputy Governor Diwa Guinigundo said in an interview with reporters that monetary authorities see a strong inflow of foreign capital to the Philippines due to risk aversion in advanced economies.

The inflow of foreign portfolio investments, called “hot money” because they could be taken out of the country as quickly as they come in, surged 160 percent to $2 billion in the first five months of the year from $772.4 million in the same period last year on the back of strong investments in shares listed at the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) and peso-denominated government securities.

Total inflows more than doubled to $7.79 billion in the first five months of the year from $3.55 billion in the same period last year while outflows, consisting mostly of withdrawals from interim peso deposits, also more than doubled to $5.78 billion from $2.77 billion.

However, latest data showed that the net inflow of hot money jumped 229 percent to $2.29 billion as of June 17, from $696.52 million in the same period last year, as inflows more than doubled to $8.57 billion from $4.08 billion while outflows went up 85.8 percent to $6.28 billion from $3.38 billion.

For the week of June 13 to June 17 alone, inflow of hot money to the Philippines reached $138.68 million.
[philstar] (http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?publicationSubCategoryId=66&articleId=702011)

BoI, Peza investments hit P260B in May
The value of investments registered with the Board of Investments (BoI) and the Philippine Economic Zone Authority jumped 189 percent to P259.94 billion in the first five months, from P90 billion in the same period last year.

According to data from the Department of Trade and Industry, investment pledges at the BoI hit P191.35 billion in the January-May period—a 338-percent surge from the previous year’s P43.65 billion.

Investment commitments at the Peza, on the other hand, rose 48 percent as of end-May, to P68.59 billion from the P46.35 billion reported in the same period last year.

As of end-May, a total of 390 projects were approved by the two investment promotion agencies.

Once fully operational, the projects are expected to generate 74,266 jobs.

The manufacturing sector is still the top source of investment pledges for both the BoI and Peza, with total commitments in the sector reaching P120.79 billion—439 percent better than the P22.41 billion posted the previous year.

Commitments in the electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply sector hit P70.17 billion, while those in the real estate activities category hit P51.77 billion.

The administrative support and service activities sector contributed another P5.55 billion, the accommodation and food service activities industry an additional P3.21 billion, the mining and quarrying sector another P2.3 billion, and the water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation sectors accounted for an additional P2.01 billion in the first five months.

Bulk of the registered investments came from domestic investors, with total commitments reaching P224.57 billion, or 86 percent of the pledges recorded from January to May.

The balance of P35.37 billion came from various foreign investors, led by the Netherlands, with P7.44 billion in total registered investments in the first five months.

American investors contributed another P7.13 billion in investment pledges, while Japanese firms added P6.45 billion to the mix.

The Board of Investments and the Philippine Economic Zone Authority also had P3.79 billion in investment commitments from South Korean investors, P1.3 billion from Singaporean firms, and P1.12 billion from British groups.
[Inquirer] (http://business.inquirer.net/5668/boi-peza-investments-hit-p260b-in-may)

^^ I put that in currency converter to my currency and that's over $6 billion USD, and manufacturing has $2.8 billion or 46% of total!:banana:

according to Goldman Sachs The Philippines will become the 14th largest economy not 19 anymore by 2050 and we will surpass South Korea. W0w..:banana:

read it here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_list_of_ten_largest_countries_by_GDP

Nice wiki item! Anything other than wiki on these projections?

^^and Nigeria will be the 13th largest... :nuts:

Lols. Pinagtatawanan ba na wiki ang reference. :lol::lol:
Wiki is just a collection of information from sources.
You could have just checked the references part below to check if the info is reliable or not.

Anyway, this is the official report from goldman sachs. This can also be found on the wiki page. reference [19]
http://www2.goldmansachs.com/ideas/global-economic-outlook/expanding-middle.pdf

^^and Nigeria will be the 13th largest... :nuts:

if they can manage the 8% growth rate up to 2050 yes they can or even higher

Lols. Pinagtatawanan ba na wiki ang reference. :lol::lol:
Wiki is just a collection of information from sources.
You could have just checked the references part below to check if the info is reliable or not.

Anyway, this is the official report from goldman sachs. This can also be found on the wiki page. reference [19]
http://www2.goldmansachs.com/ideas/global-economic-outlook/expanding-middle.pdf

I just noticed...

the updated projections for the Philippines improved a lot, while Vietnam got a lot lower...
(obviously, Vietnam got over rated)
The new projection is flattering... we are just two notches below BRAZIL!! :cheers:

Thailand also suddenly came into the picture.

I just noticed...

the updated projections for the Philippines improved a lot, while Vietnam got a lot lower...
(obviously, Vietnam got over rated)
The new projection is flattering... we are just two notches below BRAZIL!! :cheers:

Thailand also suddenly came into the picture.
I hope I'm not opening a flame war by saying this, just wanna discuss economics:D....but Philippines can be larger than Thailand between 2020-2025, and become SE Asia's 2nd largest economy. Today there is $253 billion difference in gdp (PPP), and $130.2 billion difference nominal. No reason it couldn't be closed in 14 years.
-------
I've seen projections that put Vietnam ahead of the Philippines. I dunno why..People expect the philippines to grow slowly? It shouldn't. Philippines has the same growth potential, if not higher, than Vietnam.

But growth in all of SE Asia's nations is a good thing. You know ASEAN GDP by 2050 could be as high as $20 trillion. Going by Goldman Sachs prediction in 2050:
Indonesia $8-$9 trillion
Philippines $4 trillion
Thailand around $2.5 trillion
Vietnam.around $2.5 trillion
Malaysia..I'm assuming $1.5-$2 trillion
---
All adds up to $20 trillion, not including Singapore or other ASEAN members...
according to Goldman Sachs The Philippines will become the 14th largest economy not 19 anymore by 2050 and we will surpass South Korea. W0w..:banana:

read it here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_list_of_ten_largest_countries_by_GDP

That's good news, maybe Philippines could be higher if its gdp growth increases to around 7%-8% annually, maybe magic 10% for a while too will put it in the top 10.:D

if they can manage the 8% growth rate up to 2050 yes they can or even higher

Nigeria should manage at least 10% growth for a decade (or two if lucky) soon. It's already growing around 7%-8%, but power generation has been keeping gdp from growing in double digits. That and there is a ton of untapped potential in all sectors (well besides oil) of the economy (gdp in 2002 grew by 21% after just telecom sect. was privatized:nuts:). If it hits double digit then Nigeria will definitely be in the Top 10 by 2050.

I hope I'm not opening a flame war by saying this, just wanna discuss economics:D....but Philippines can be larger than Thailand between 2020-2025, and become SE Asia's 2nd largest economy. Today there is $253 billion difference in gdp (PPP), and $130.2 billion difference nominal. No reason it couldn't be closed in 14 years.
-------
I've seen projections that put Vietnam ahead of the Philippines. I dunno why..People expect the philippines to grow slowly? It shouldn't. Philippines has the same growth potential, if not higher, than Vietnam.


Before we surpass Thailand, we should surpass Singapore and Malaysia first..
I wonder when will that happen.. could it be in the next 5 years?? or 10 years? ( I find it really exciting to be able to catch up to these 2)

TRUE, Vietnam was previously forcast to be able to get ahead of the Philippines.. BUT NOT ANYMORE! :D

Before we surpass Thailand, we should surpass Singapore and Malaysia first..
I wonder when will that happen.. could it be in the next 5 years?? or 10 years? ( I find it really exciting to be able to catch up to these 2)

TRUE, Vietnam was previously forcast to be able to get ahead of the Philippines.. BUT NOT ANYMORE! :D

After Mislang discovered something?:D

After Mislang discovered something?:D

:lol::lol::lol::lol:

After Mislang discovered something?:D
Personal assessment daw yun! Mapili at pihikan kasi siya, tulad ng boss niya!
Birds of the same feathers are birds, yun ang sabi nila! Hahahaha

^^ Goldman Sachs assumes an average of 5.2% PH GDP growth for 2011-50....i believe it's an achievable thing....now let's work!

Before we surpass Thailand, we should surpass Singapore and Malaysia first..
I wonder when will that happen.. could it be in the next 5 years?? or 10 years? ( I find it really exciting to be able to catch up to these 2)

TRUE, Vietnam was previously forcast to be able to get ahead of the Philippines.. BUT NOT ANYMORE! :D

singapore, philippines, and malaysia are all really close.
Singapore GDP 2010: $222.7 billion (according to singstat (http://www.singstat.gov.sg/stats/themes/economy/hist/gdp2.html))
Malaysia GDP 2010: $238 billion
Philippines GDP 2010: $202.8 billion

and i read in some articles that by 2011-2050 we can achieved an average of 5.2%gdp with corruption and 6%gdp w/out corruption...:bash::bash::bash:

^^ I think growth potential is higher than 6%..just look at last year, over 7% growth..

I hope those growths could be really felt by the Filipinos. what's important is with that growth, a very poor family could already eat at least 3 times a day - breakfast, lunch and dinner.

singapore, philippines, and malaysia are all really close.
Singapore GDP 2010: $222.7 billion (according to singstat (http://www.singstat.gov.sg/stats/themes/economy/hist/gdp2.html))
Malaysia GDP 2010: $238 billion
Philippines GDP 2010: $202.8 billion

my goodness. divide those amounts with their respective population. Philippines has 95 million people compared to Singapore's 5 million and Malaysia's 23 million :ohno::ohno::ohno:

according to Goldman Sachs The Philippines will become the 14th largest economy not 19 anymore by 2050 and we will surpass South Korea. W0w..:banana:

read it here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_list_of_ten_largest_countries_by_GDP

well 39 years from now is a very long time. why that long? should we allow that long?

Before we surpass Thailand, we should surpass Singapore and Malaysia first..
I wonder when will that happen.. could it be in the next 5 years?? or 10 years? ( I find it really exciting to be able to catch up to these 2)

TRUE, Vietnam was previously forcast to be able to get ahead of the Philippines.. BUT NOT ANYMORE! :D

I notice the government na parang ginagawang benchmark ang Thailand pagdating sa economy. Agree, dapat muna malampasan natin ang Singapore, and Singapore must be our benchmark, not Thailand

^^ Rome wasn't built in a day they would say...

But then, South Korea isn't rome, Singapore isn't Rome... Taiwan isn't Rome... The phrase slowly but surely won't do us good. It should be Fast, Furious but Careful...

my goodness. divide those amounts with their respective population. Philippines has 95 million people compared to Singapore's 5 million and Malaysia's 23 million :ohno::ohno::ohno:

And i think that in 2050 our population will be at around 148million, and our gdp is $3.1trillion or maybe higher, so our gdp per capita is around $30,000, still lagging behind our neighbors. What you all think the government should pass the RH Bill or not????hahaha

And i think that in 2050 our population will be at around 148million, and our gdp is $3.1trillion or maybe higher, so our gdp per capita is around $30,000, still lagging behind our neighbors. What you all think the government should pass the RH Bill or not????hahaha

agree. It is just "The largest economy". what's important is the individual income.

^^ Sometimes or most of the time, it's the ones with the largest economies that are most attractive. They have more vibrant and thriving economies and they have the domestic engine to propel their economy to greater income levels simply because their markets are way bigger than the others.

This will also move individual incomes higher and faster than those with smaller populations. That could be PHL's case in the future. When we get out of middle-income status, our population is already a 'true' asset if we want to enter much higher GDP Per Capita levels.

China has the second largest economy as of the moment.... Now, go figure :D

^^ And they're gonna end-up blowing themselves with an overheated economy. That is a weakness though, but then on the general perspective, large economies still fare better compared to the smaller ones, 'IF and only IF', their income levels are already high. It's only but a conditional term.

But the bottom-line could be, proper and good management of the economy will always bring out the best of every market. ;)

^^ IDK... Singapore has a smaller economy compared to China but standard of living there is better and the income as compared to China, is more equally distributed. The US is the largest economy but the income gap is growing...

^^ The last paragraph of my post will bode well with the state of Singapore's economy. ;)

^^ would it be better if we have better HDI sometimes?

^^ I was replying to your statement "on the general perspective, large economies still fare better compared to the smaller ones"

And i think that in 2050 our population will be at around 148million, and our gdp is $3.1trillion or maybe higher, so our gdp per capita is around $30,000, still lagging behind our neighbors. What you all think the government should pass the RH Bill or not????hahaha

that's not that bad. don't expect to have per capita income equal to the west or japan because most developing countries today 39 years from now won't anyways, not even China.