What Drives Away Foreign Investments in the Philippines

February 8, 2026

What deters foreign direct investments in the Philippines? I came across this “Investment Climate Statement” of the U.S. Department of State for the Philippines in 2025, and what struck me is this passage that is very disappointing, yet not at all surprising, for anyone who has tried to do business in the Philippines: “Some U.S. investors describe business registration, customs, and immigration processes as burdensome. Customs processes, in particular, can present challenges and the Embassy has received multiple reports from U.S. businesses of overly invasive searches, inconsistent customs charges, and solicitations of “facilitation fees” (e.g., bribes) from some customs officials.” Horrible. But again, not surprising. This is a reality that most businesses have to deal with in our country. There have been attempts to address

The Staggering True Cost of Inflated Public Contracts

January 31, 2026

Corruption is the single greatest barrier to national progress in the Philippines. The most obvious symptom is the artificially high cost of public infrastructure projects. Taxpayers often pay up to three times the actual value for roads, bridges, and government buildings. While the immediate financial cost is staggering, the hidden, long-term consequences of this systemic corruption are even more devastating to the country’s economic future. The Economic Damage of Inflated Government Contracts Inflated public infrastructure contracts severely damage the entire national economy. Corruption distorts fair market prices and lowers capital efficiency. Projects meant to be long-term assets become expensive liabilities. Many projects are “completed” on paper but quickly fail or deteriorate. This drains government funds without providing real public benefit. This waste is not just

Five Decades Later, and the Audience is Still the Product

January 21, 2026

“If you’re not paying for the product, you’re not the customer – you’re the product being sold.” This idea is at the heart of the concept known as audience as the product. It’s an old quote, that is often brought up when talking about advertising. One of the earliest instances of this idea is in this 1973 short video by artists Richard Serra and Carlota Fay Schoolman called Television Delivers People. The video is a critique on popular media as a control tactic, for the benefit of “the mass corporations and those in power”. It’s interesting, because the two artists actually bought some airtime to broadcast this almost 7-minute piece, playing it on the medium it actually criticizes. The video is just text scrolling on

Beyond Theft: The Quiet Corruption of White Elephant Public Spending

January 19, 2026

Not all corruption involves under-the-table cash envelopes or missing funds. Some of it hides in plain sight – in government projects that are fully-funded, proudly inaugurated, and loudly celebrated. Yet, these projects quietly fail to deliver real value to the public. Economists call these White Elephants. For the purpose of this discussion on public spending and governance, we will use the Merriam-Webster definition of a “property requiring much care and expense and yielding little profit.” According to this extensive blog entry, the term originated from actual white elephants in Southeast Asia. While normal elephants served as beasts of burden, white elephants were sacred to Buddhists—so rare and valuable that only kings could own them. The problem? Elephants are costly to maintain, and a sacred white

May 2026 be the Year our Hopes Catch Up with Reality

January 1, 2026

After the noise of Media Noche dies down and the plates are cleared, I find it helpful to pause and reflect on the year that was, and to define what I want 2026 to be. This reflection is vital to appreciate the why behind what we do. As we enter 2026, my wishes feel clearer, heavier, and more deliberate than before. On this blog, I spent much of the past year writing about things that frustrated me, worried me, and sometimes kept me up at night. I wrote because staying silent felt wrong. I wrote so future generations could live in a country that values accountability, true public service, and refuses to accept failure or corruption as normal. One can hope, and should hope,

Choosing Hope Together – A Short Christmas Message

December 23, 2025

As Christmas arrives, I find myself reflecting on 2025. It was a year that tested our patience, our trust in institutions, and sometimes, even our faith in each other as Filipinos. 2025 was a difficult year, marked by scandal after public scandal. The flood control issue, in particular, was painful to watch: billions allocated, yet communities remained submerged, lives disrupted, and livelihoods washed away—with thin explanations and even thinner accountability. This blatant and systemic corruption reminded us how deeply rooted our problems still are, and how costly they have become for ordinary families who simply want safety, dignity, and a fair chance. Yet even amid this turbulence, I found moments that reaffirmed why I write in this space. This blog is where I share what

Simbang Gabi

December 16, 2025

Today is the first day of the Simbang Gabi – a nine-day novena which starts December 16 and ends on December 24. It is celebrated at 4:30 in the morning. But in recent years, when masses are also regularly held in chapels and other places outside of the main church, simbang gabis are held during evenings – at 7:00, 8:00 or 9:00 depending on the availability of the priest celebrant. But the original practice is to hold it at dawn; at hours before the sun rises. It is common among former colonies of Spain. The friars convinced the catholic converts to prepare themselves for the celebration of the birth of the Saviour. And what more fitting preparation there is but to attend nine-day novena mass.

When Budget Lines Become Backdoors: The Real Cost of Pork Barrel — Now Wearing a New Face

December 14, 2025

When people talk about “pork barrel,” they often mean the old PDAF days — discretionary slush funds handed to lawmakers for projects that sometimes never materialized. But to say pork barrel is gone would be naive. It didn’t disappear; it changed its face — into budget insertions, unprogrammed funds, and discretionary realignments that skirt executive vetting. It’s important to look at the real cost of pork barrel, as these create the same opportunities for abuse. Insertions, FLR, and unprogrammed funds – not illegal, but could be immoral After the Supreme Court struck down PDAF in 2013, direct lump-sum allocations to lawmakers were outlawed. What replaced them is subtler: lawmakers now push insertions into the General Appropriations Act (GAA), or tap “for later release” (FLR) designations

Smuggling, Customs Fraud and the Bill Being Paid by All of Us

December 7, 2025

Everyone is talking about flood control scams right now. Thanks to Congressman Zaldy Co’s three-part video exposé , corruption headlines are all about ghost projects and overpriced construction. Co’s claims, whether proven in court or not, point to systemic, organized corruption coming from the very top. It’s not just a few bad apples. But hold up—overpriced infra is just one type of corruption. In an earlier post that I have on the economic effects of corruption there are other sources of corruption. This post looks at something that is as insidious as overpriced infrastructure, but rarely gets the same spotlight: Smuggling and Customs Fraud. How Bad is Smuggling and Customs Fraud? It is a massive problem: The Bureau of Customs (BOC) seized a record

Reminiscing on a COVID Christmas

December 1, 2025

I came across this old video from Singaporean producer/actor/singer Alvin Oon from 2020, and it took me back to the time of COVID – when the world stood still, but we still found ways to keep on moving. It’s him singing “We’re Not Going to Anywhere This Christmas” (sung to the tune of “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas”). Here’s the video: He talks about not being able to travel during this Christmas, as we all had to stay at home. But, it’s okay, because he says – “most importantly, is to have you here with me – who could ask for more?” It’s a lighthearted, cheery song, to the tune of one of the most popular Christmas songs, about not going anywhere

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