To show that on thei HOly Week 2026, we pause to consider the ongoing war in the Middle East.and its unexpected impact on us.

Holy Week Reflections: Finding Empathy Amidst Global Conflict and Rising Prices

March 31, 2026

The scent of frankincense and the quiet hum of the Pabasa usually define our Holy Week. This year, however, those traditional reflections feel heavier. We pause to consider the ongoing war in the Middle East and its unexpected impact on us. The country traditionally pauses collectively during this time. Traffic softens, businesses slow, and families journey quietly. Some return to their provinces, others visit churches for Visita Iglesia, and many simply choose stillness at home. Why the Middle East Conflict Hits Close to Home in the Philippines Today, the world’s troubles feel unusually close. The war in the Middle East is more than a distant headline; its shockwaves touch our daily lives. We feel this impact in several ways: News articles show fuel prices rising

The Philippine Oil Crisis: Exposed, Unprepared, and Still Without a Long-Term Strategy

March 28, 2026

The Philippines is reacting to the global oil shortage, not managing it. The crisis, triggered by the war in the Middle East, exposes how dangerously unprepared the country is. As former Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez bluntly stated, solving an oil crisis is harder than fighting COVID-19. His quote sums up the difficulty: “you can quarantine a virus, but you cannot quarantine the global oil market.” The government’s current response suggests this is being treated as a temporary disruption, not a structural crisis. Unprepared and Knee-Deep: The Reactive Response The country was caught completely off-guard. Reports show that the Philippines has only about 45 days of fuel reserves. Given that we import nearly all of our oil, mostly from the Middle East, this limited reserve

Beyond the Pump: Why Suspending Excise Tax on Fuel Is Not a Silver Bullet

March 24, 2026

We cannot think of wars, especially the currently ongoing conflict in Iran and the Middle East, as far removed from our daily lives. It’s true before, and it’s even more true now – this war that the US and Israel started against Iran is sending shockwaves all around the world. The thing is that this is not a war we chose, but we are already starting to feel its effects. It’s such a difficult time to be living right now. Daily war updates fills our social media and broadcast news feeds. The price of diesel and gasoline is slowly starting to go up. Jeepney drivers are earning only ₱56 after spending ₱1,200 pesos on diesel for the day. But President BBM suspended the fare hike,

How Connections Shape the Philippine Economy: Nepotism and Political Patronage

March 23, 2026

Introduction In this blog we will discuss the impact of nepotism and political patronage on the Philippine economy. This concludes our series on corruption’s impact on the economy. We trust this journey has been enlightening, prompting deeper reflection on the diverse manifestations of corruption and its influence on daily life in the Philippines. Nepotism: A Hidden Type of Corruption There is a kind of corruption that many people often overlook because it doesn’t always look obviously corrupt. In fact, many Filipinos just accept it as a normal part of life. However, just like other types of corruption, it quietly affects the country’s economic future. Favouring Relatives and Friends in Business Helping relatives, friends, or people you know well doesn’t seem wrong. This practice is common

Why “Kotong ” is Bad for the Economy

March 18, 2026

We’re almost at the end of this series on the economic effects of corruption. We’ve talked about different types of corruption, like customs fraud, misused public funds, distortion of public spending, inflated project costs, and regulatory friction. But one type of corruption that hits us every day—and severely affects the economy—is corruption within law enforcement, especially among traffic enforcers and police. It’s a persistent problem the government is trying hard to fix. Its popular name is Kotong. Here is a breakdown of how this specific type of corruption, known as Kotong , hurts our economy and what we can do about it. What is Kotong Culture and How Does it Work? Ask any Filipino driver, and they likely have a story about this kind

EXPOSED: What the Impeachment Vote Means for Congressmen

March 1, 2026

In this blog post, we explore what the Sara Duterte impeachment vote means for congressmen and its implications for the current political landscape. (This is a follow-up piece to my blog on the structural consequences of Sara Duterte’s early declaration that she will run for president in 2028.) For as long as I’ve been observing political campaigns, one pattern remains constant: when national timelines accelerate, the spotlight rarely stays where it began. When Sara Duterte declared her presidential candidacy, the impeachment effort ceased to be a contained institutional process. It entered the electoral arena. That shift has already been discussed. What has received less attention is the second movement of that shift. The spotlight has moved. It now rests on the House of Representatives. An

Regulatory Friction in the Philippines: The Hidden Cost of Doing Business

February 28, 2026

Starting a business in the Philippines is a struggle and one of the biggest reason is regulatory friction. This makes the process more complicated for entrepreneurs. I previously wrote about how corruption discourages Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) in the Philippines, especially judicial and regulatory corruption. While true, that’s just the surface of a much bigger problem. The reality is that starting and operating a business is a struggle for everyone, including local Filipino entrepreneurs. There’s a massive barrier to entry that most people simply accept as “part of doing business.” For many entrepreneurs, regulatory friction and “SOPs” (which we’ll call bribery or grease money) are normalized as necessary operating costs. Furthermore, this normalization is the true hurdle for the ease of doing business in the

The Modern Orwellian Reality: Social Media and the New Big Brother

February 25, 2026

Redefining “Orwellian”: From Government Surveillance to Social Platforms Traditionally, the term “Orwellian” has referred to a government that controls and monitors every aspect of its citizens’ lives, much like the world depicted in George Orwell’s renowned novel 1984. Many believe this dystopian future is a distant threat, yet we may not realize that this reality is already here—though the threat no longer solely comes from governments. Without much thought, we voluntarily interact with Orwell’s concept of Big Brother every single day. We willingly provide companies with access to our personal data: our locations, actions, and even our thoughts. In return for this constant stream of information, we receive entertainment, memes, instant messaging, and endless cat videos. Even More Powerful than Governments It may sound alarmist,

The Structural Consequences of Sara Duterte’s Early Declaration

February 20, 2026

Introduction After four decades in marketing and PR, observing and participating in campaigns, managing narratives, reading survey data, and watching political cycles rise and collapse, one lesson becomes clear: timing is rarely accidental. Context and Timing On February 18, 2026, Sara Duterte declared her candidacy for president. While the announcement itself was expected, the timing caught many by surprise. Declaring amid an active impeachment effort was not an act of theatrical defiance—it was a deliberate structural repositioning. Political and Structural Shifts In market research, perception frames outcome. In political communications, context determines interpretation. Before her declaration, impeachment could be discussed as a legal matter. After her declaration, it became inseparable from the electoral picture. That shift matters. Once a public official becomes a declared presidential

At 25

February 18, 2026

Today as I turn 67, let me share with you a feature article about me, published in the Business Mirror in December 11, 2016. The discussions with Roger covered my professional life from the time I joined CRC to the time I left Omnicom Media Group to volunteer in the Duterte presidential campaign. Much has happened after that, and I think I should be writing about it in a separate blog. Roger Pe, a veteran Creative Director, wrote this piece about what I was like around the time when I was 25. We had an initial face to face interview after which he sent me a set of questions via email and asked for a photo of me

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