Islands of Excellence: Tagum

MY love for travel has enriched my knowledge and widened my experience, which contributed to my success both in business and in public service.

Translating Opportunity into Reality

WE have a huge opportunity to attract investments given the cash hoard of transnational corporations. They are looking for new places where they can pour capital and generate profits while developed markets are languishing in recession (like Europe) or struggling to recover (like the United States).

A Huge Opportunity to Attract Investments

THE turnaround in the flow of foreign direct investments (FDI) in the first seven months of 2012, as reported by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), was just the start of a series of good news supporting my call for an all-out drive to attract investments. In other words, the odds are in our favor; the ball is in our field.

An All-Out Drive to Attract Investments

HOW can we attract foreign direct investments (FDI) at a time when the world's wealthiest countries are either in crisis as in the euro zone or struggling to recover as in the United States?

What China's Economic Slowdown Means

China caught the attention of the global economy beginning in the eighties when it opened up its market to the world and launched an aggressive campaign to attract investments and boost exports.

Election Season and Economic Growth

THE opening of the election season, with the filing of certificates of candidacies this month, understandably prompted speculations of a strong boost to economic growth beginning in the latter part of 2012 and extending to 2013.

World-Class

GLOBAL media was abuzz last week—television, newspapers and even the Internet—and it was not because of any terrible accident or disaster or revolution: it was about the world's biggest pumpkin.

Competitiveness and Investment Flows

THE Philippines, which ended the second quarter of 2012 with the second-highest growth in terms of gross domestic product (GDP), continues to make its mark in the economic arena, both regional and global.

We can do it

THE title, a paraphrase from Fil-Am Hollywood actor Rob Schneider one-liner "You can do it" in one of his friend Adam Sandler's movies, actually refers to my three-part series on the Philippine economy's performance in the second quarter and related issues.

Clouds on the Horizon

THE Philippine economy ended the first half of 2012 with a growth of 6.1 percent, second highest in Southeast Asia and third behind China, the world's second-largest economy.

Getting There

FLOODS caused by excessive rains in August continued to keep many of our countrymen from going back to their regular activities.

Keeping Investments

THE announcement by Ford Philippines that it would shut down its assembly plant in Santa Rosa, Laguna, was a jolt to the growing euphoria brought about by the unexpected 6.4-percent growth of the economy in the first quarter, the increasing prospects for a credit upgrade and heightened investor confidence in the country.

The Competition Act of 2011

SENATE Bill 3098 will fill the void resulting from the absence of a comprehensive and codified antitrust law in the Philippines.

First Competition Law in East Asia

LAST week I mentioned some of our neighboring countries that have enacted competition or antitrust laws, such as Japan, Australia, China, Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia.

First Competition Law in East Asia

LAST week I mentioned some of our neighboring countries that have enacted competition or antitrust laws, such as Japan, Australia, China, Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia.

How To Keep The Momentum, Sustain High Growth

LAST week I raised the issue of sustainability in economic growth and ended with a reminder that we should not lose the momentum that we achieved in the first quarter of 2012, like we did after the record 7.6-percent growth in 2010.

Back To Business

NOW that the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona is over, we can all go back to minding the nation's pressing business, serving the people through legislation and public programs and growing the economy.

How To Keep The Momentum, Sustain High Growth

THE recovery of the economy to a 6.4-percent growth in terms of gross domestic product (GDP) in the first quarter of 2012 after the lackluster 3.7-percent growth for the whole of 2011 is a welcome development.

Of Movers and Shakers – Part 2

One of the latest developments in the business big league was the decision of the government last week to allow both Manny V. Pangilinan and Ramon S. Ang to build two highway systems that will link the North and South Expressways. The combined cost of the two projects, which will take two years to complete, is estimated at P60 billion.

Of Movers and Shakers

THERE'S something going on that is distinctly exciting in contrast to the state and forecasts on the economy.

No more underspending, Please!

ECONOMISTS blamed, and the government acknowledged, that one of the major factors behind the decline in the country's economic growth to 3.7 percent last year compared with 7.6 percent in 2010 was underspending.

Economic Perspective of Scarborough Issue

THE latest dispute between the Philippines and China started on April 10 when two Chinese surveillance ships stopped the Philippine Navy from apprehending eight Chinese fishing boats for poaching marine life in the waters around Scarborough Shoal or Panatag Shoal, which is part of the municipality of Masinloc in Zambales.

The Management Side of the Economy

IT is very likely that the Philippine economy will grow at a faster pace this year compared with the disappointing 3.7 percent it posted in 2011 in terms of gross domestic product (GDP).

Confronting high oil prices

THERE'S not much we can do about rising oil prices because we import virtually all of our requirements. And the situation is made unstable by current tensions in the Middle East, which accounts for the bulk of the global oil supplies.

Target – Specific Strategy on Tourism, Investments

The weakening of the US economy and the persistent financial crisis in Europe are driving global investments toward Asia, including emerging economies like the Philippines.

Mining the bottom of the pyramid

ASIDE from measures to improve the business climate and make the Philippines attractive to investors, we at the Senate, particularly the Committees on Ways and Means, Trade and Commerce, Oversight on Economic Affairs and Finance, Banks, Financial Institutions and Currencies and the Committee on Economic Affairs (which I chair), are looking at the microenterprise sector to boost the domestic economy and shield it from the impact of the global crises.

The Competition for Investments

WE have a huge task ahead of us. But we must be wary of any sign that may lead to a decline in trade, investments, overseas remittances and even official aid.

No more compelling reason to sell public lands

FOR many years, privatization served as an important tool for the government to generate revenues to augment tax collections, which were never enough to operate the bureaucracy and deliver public services.

PPP from another perspective

NO roads, no progress! That's the simple truth about the relevance of infrastructure to grow the economy and improve the lives of Filipinos.

Reversing 'Re-Industrialization'

ANOTHER official of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has stressed that the long-term growth prospects of the Philippines will depend on how it addresses its persistent problems, such as unemployment, inadequate infrastructure, environmental degradation and governance.

A Two-Legged Employment Strategy

US President Barack Obama was reported last week as "celebrating" the return of US jobs from Asian economic powerhouse China during a tour of a plant making padlocks for Master Lock in Wisconsin, which recently returned 100 jobs that were previously done offshore. "Right now," he said, "we have an excellent opportunity to bring manufacturing back, but we have to seize it."

Buying Time

ECONOMIC growth this year, as in the past many years, will again be driven by consumption, which, in turn, will be fueled by remittances from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) estimated at $21.1 billion, up from $20.1 billion in 2011.

A Campaign We All Should Support

THE 3.7-percent economic growth in terms of gross domestic product (GDP) for 2011 did not come as a surprise, given the continuing slide from 4.6 percent in the first quarter to 3.1 percent in the second and 3.6 percent in the third quarter.

What the Bishop Bill Really Means

THE Bishop bill says a lot more than discouraging American companies from outsourcing their operations to other countries like the Philippines.

Philippine tourism: Fixing the paradox

CONCLUSION - IT'S been a year and a half since the "Pilipinas Kay Ganda" fiasco so I sort of heaved a sigh when the Department of Tourism announced on January 6 the new tourism slogan: "It's more fun in the Philippines."

Philippine tourism: Fixing the paradox

PART I - VISITOR arrivals to the Philippines reached 3.522 million during the period January to November, up 12.66 percent from 3.126 million for the same period in 2010, and exceeding the full-year arrivals of 3.520 million for 2010.

A New Year Message

WITH three days left in the year, we'll just have to wait for the official report on how the economy fared in 2011. Now, it's time to look ahead and try to discern what 2012 will bring, whether we can recover from the slow growth in 2011 and put our economy back on the 7-percent to 8-percent growth track.

Disaster brigades for the economy

WITH three days left in the year, we'll just have to wait for the official report on how the economy fared in 2011. Now, it's time to look ahead and try to discern what 2012 will bring, whether we can recover from the slow growth in 2011 and put our economy back on the 7-percent to 8-percent growth track.

A Positive look at things

I HAVE decided that this piece, four days before Christmas, should have a positive tone. December 25, after all, is a day of celebration for most Filipinos and for many peoples in the world.

When will the Philippines be prepared for disasters?

MORE than 10,000 delegates from 194 countries, including the Philippines, gathered in Durban, South Africa, last week for the latest round of talks under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Dissecting GDP: What did we miss?

WHEN the official report on the country’s economic performance for the third quarter of this year came out, one thing I noticed was that the growth in terms of gross domestic product (GDP) was below expectations.

Unsolicited Advice

‘OUT of touch; insulting to the intelligence!” That’s how I would describe the pieces of unsolicited advice given by Naoyuki Shinohara, deputy managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), during his visit to Manila early this month.

Chasing GDP: Leadership Scorecard

A SURVEY conducted by 60 Minutes and Vanity Fair on September 29 and October 2, 2011, showed that former President Ronald Reagan was the kind of president most Americans wanted to see at the White House amid the current economic difficulties in the United States.

Chasing GDP: Ultimate solution to poverty

THE results of the latest survey of the Social Weather Stations (SWS) on hunger are disturbing, although not really surprising: about 4.3 million families (that’s 21.5 million people based on five members per family) experienced involuntary hunger at least once in the three months prior to September 4-7, when the survey interviews were conducted.

Chasing GDP: What attracts investments

I had been talking about GDP or gross domestic product in the past several weeks that I feel compelled to explain this seeming obsession with it.

Regaining Momentum – 2

SERGIO ORTIZ-LUIS, chairman of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry and head of the Philippine Exporters Federation, recently told reporters that he originally forecast a 9-percent to 10-percent export growth for 2011, but that now, even a 5-percent growth is doubtful, given the adverse developments in the global and regional economies.

Regaining Momentum

THE first step in problem solving is to accept that there is a problem. Thus, in addressing the decline in the national economy, the government must accept that we have lost the momentum.

Coconut farmers, fishermen need CCT

THERE are many ways to generate economic activity.

Steve Jobs, the entrepreneur

THERE has been an endless flow of tributes since Apple co-founder Steve Jobs died on October 5 at the young age of 56, after an eight-year battle with pancreatic cancer.

The Proper Time for RE Development

I AM pro-environment. My record proves that I have been engaged in massive treeplanting even before I entered politics. I have developed my own nursery to produce tree seedlings. And now, through the Villar Foundation's Sagip-Ilog program, my wife, former Congresswoman Cynthia A. Villar, and I have been engaged in cleaning up rivers throughout the country.

Stop Selling Public Lands

It's a tempting offer. I'm referring to the P19 billion that somebody has offered to acquire the 103-hectare Food Terminal Inc. (FTI) in Taguig, the biggest remaining block of undeveloped property near the Naia and Bonifacio Global City.

Time to pass an anti-trust law, First in 2 Parts

The time is ripe for the Philippines to enact a comprehensive anti-trust law. Let me tell you why.

What we need, An exit program for CCT

I knew about it, but I was still intrigued when Budget Secretary Florencio Abad announced last week that the conditional cash-transfer (CCT) program would end in 2015.

Weighing the cost of an upgrade

First, the good news: International credit rating agencies upgraded the Philippine government's credit rating four times in the past 12 months. This

Flexibility on the tax stance

The inclusion of higher taxes on tobacco and alcohol products in the 13 priority bills that the government announced last August 16 is a positive development.

Leveling the playing field

A cartel, strictly speaking, is a group of companies or countries that agree to fix the prices of certain commodities by controlling their production and marketing. The end goal is to increase profits by reducing competition among the cartel members.

Exploring alternatives to Charter Change

Recent calls to amend the economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution, particularly those that restrict foreign ownership of land and public utilities as well as media, highlighted a long-standing gridlock on the Charter change issue.

PPP program should not stop MSME projects

I really hope the biddings for the first batch of 10 projects under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) program will finally be held before the end of 2011. It may be too late to affect economic growth, which has been slowing down since the first quarter, but it should at least generate interest from foreign and domestic investors – a sort of economic morale booster.

A focused strategy to eliminate hunger and poverty It's

It's good to be back. This column had served as the bridge of communication between the readers of this respected newspaper and me, and as a medium through which I am able to participate in the free discussion of ideas and developments affecting the national economy.

True competitiveness is a cultural thing

The Philippines has to do a lot of hard work to improve its economic standing and competitiveness in the world.

Let's start running --- fast!

The Philippine economy grew at a historical high of 8.4 percent during the first quarter of 2010. As revised by the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB), using constant 2000 prices, that high growth in terms of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) allowed the economy to post a three-decade high of 7.6 percent growth for the whole of 2010.

Facing up to China

There is a misconception that our manufacturing industries will never be able to rise from the dead because of China's immense competitive advantage, especially its low wages.

Villar files bill granting special leave for OFW spouses

Sen. Manny Villar filed a bill that will grant special leave credits to spouses of overseas Filipino workers.