Category Archives: economy

Southeast Asia Scales Down on Subsidies

By admin | July 26, 2013

Written for The Diplomat Several Southeast Asian countries have begun scaling down the subsidies they are providing to key sectors of their economies. Last month, the Thai government confirmed that it will soon decrease the rice price subsidy it gives to farmers. In Indonesia, the parliament approved a revised budget that lowered the fuel subsidy. […]

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Populist Economics in Southeast Asia

By admin | November 11, 2012

Written for The Diplomat Governments are spending vast sums to reduce crushing poverty. While the cause is a noble one the reasoning and approach may be faulty. Populist economics is on the rise in Southeast Asia. Politicians have been actively adopting policies that aim to impress upon the poor that governments are doing something, however […]

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Frustrating Philippines Rice Crisis

By admin | April 26, 2011

Written for The Diplomat Rice is the staple food in Southeast Asia and in many parts of the world. But it’s not just a food that fulfills hunger. Rice has enriched the cultures of many Asian societies. In Thailand, asking, ‘Have you eaten rice today?’ is a way of saying, ‘How are you?’ In Vietnam […]

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Philippine employment statistics 2010

By admin | February 3, 2011

I was compelled to gather some employment statistics when I was invited to discuss the youth situation in a university job fair last week. I got a copy of the Department of Labor and Employment’s Project Jobsfit August 2010 study on employment prospects in the Philippines. Here are some of the interesting and relevant findings […]

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“Industrial peace of the grave”

By admin | September 16, 2009

In 1986 there were 581 factory strikes and lockouts in the Philippines. Last year the number of actual strikes went down to five. Using this data, the labor department of the government claims there is now industrial peace in the country. Is this true? Labor groups were quick to dismiss this assertion by describing the […]

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Save More

By admin | September 6, 2009

As of June 30, 2009, Henry Sy’s SM has 102 stores composed of 34 department stores, 41 supermarkets (16 SaveMore branches), 13 hypermarkets, and 14 Makro wholesale outlets. For the rest of the year, SM plans to open one new SM Supermarket, 7 SaveMore outlets, 6 SM Hypermarkets, and 2 SM Department Stores. SM is […]

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Dim prospects for Philippine BPO sector

By admin | July 14, 2009

Dim prospects for Philippine BPO sector The Philippines’ business process outsourcing sector has been a major contributor to the country’s economy in terms of revenues and job generation. There are more than 600 BPO companies operating in the Philippines which employ almost 400,000 young workers. Last year, the industry generated US$6.1 billion in revenues. The […]

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Swine flu, economics, decollectivization

By admin | June 25, 2009

The global economic crash continues to terrorize the world everyday. Banks fail, jobs disappear, wealth becomes fictitious. The pillars of the global economic system are now exposed as lacking in firm foundation. The new world order is now heralded as a global disorder. This sudden unraveling of the inconvenient truths about the capitalist economic system […]

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