Martian Footprints » Philippines

Philippine Stocks Rebounding, Promising Outlook?

Nathan — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:37:18 +0000

Disclaimer: I am not an expert in this field. However, I do engage in regular trading and sessions with enthusiasts and analysts in order to share ideas and experiences.

At the start of the year, the PSEi reached its peak of 3,130, well around the psychological resistance of 3,133. With the recent steep decline mostly attributable to market correction, especially with the overbought conditions towards the rise to 3,130. According to analysts, it was a bit expected to see the market dip so much, and expectations are mostly for the market to go sideways for a few months at the first half of the year. However, recently (today), the Philippine Stock Exchange index broke the 3,100 mark at 3,107.25, giving good signals that we might break the recent high of 3,130, which will be good for everyone.

PSEi - 6 months until March 9, 2010 (c/o Bloomberg charts)

What do you think? Will the trend still be bullish? or will it continue sideways?

The Philippines, Lately Lately, the Philippines is feeling the toll of the upcoming...
Paypal now serves Philippine Peso I use Paypal whenever I do online transactions, as it's...
Quick Guide to Automated 2010 Philippine Elections As the election 2010 in the Philippines draws near, it's...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Political Campaign Overspending is Pure BS

Nathan — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 12:39:36 +0000

Political Ad Spending

I don’t know how it is with other countries, but in the Philippines, in order to win an election, you’d have to spend millions and millions in Pesos. And mind you, it’s not even a guaranteed win. Unless, of course, it’s all part of a well-orchestrated move that involves inside manipulation.

Background

A politician’s salary is a measly below-average compared to working in the industry, yet a lot are willing to spend gazillions in cash to win. What’s so important about winning an election, aside from the obvious seat of power and glory? Ahh, the ever so limited cash that the Philippines has. Every project they are engaged in, they have the “power” to insert lines into contracts, to add miscellaneous fees, to fake receipts, etc. This oftentimes result to more than 100% increase in the total amount, which they put under the guise of public service – ‘This project was brought to you by: So and so…’

Strategy: Diversify and Modernize

Nearing the May 2010 elections, more and more ads can be seen or heard in radios and TVs. Not only that, ads start to diversify as well, targeting not only the usual channels, but also utilizing more modern approaches. Imagine political ads invading the Internet and taking the form of YouTube videos, Google Ads, Facebook Fan Pages and Facebook Ads. Yes, it’s happening! I never thought this day would come, but it did! I must admit it is a brilliant strategy, as more and more people are reliant on the Internet and are fans and loyal users of social networking sites.

BS: Too Much Spending

There are just too many ads a normal human can take of a single political candidate. Spending too much is pure crap. Taking that aside for a while, many of them have already been airing these ads since last year! Let’s revisit what constitutes a fair election. A very clear example of too much spending is Manny Villar. Yes, he has been the pioneer in Internet campaigning. According to this ABS-CBN News article,

Romano said he estimates that Villar spends $1,000 or P47,000 a day on the Internet, compared to their $50 to $100 or P4,700 budget daily.

Imagine Php 47,000 in 120 days (4 months). That’s already Php 5.6M, and I guess that’s the least of his worries. He even has his own game show on TV! What’s up with that?! He gives out house and lots on TV, and pays for millions of celebrity endorsements. Now what can I say? No wonder estimates say that he has already spend at least Php 1 billion ($20 M) for his campaign. I’ve mentioned Manny Villar, because he is a premier example of overspending, but almost everyone is guilty of that.

Spending Capacity = Justifiable Overspending?

It is now not a matter of spending capacity. Ok, granted that you are indeed very rich and can spend well beyond your means? Let’s say you spend Php 100M, how will you regain what you have lost? Why will you spend that much if you do not have something to gain? It’s just like a business. Why will you invest in something with no returns? It’s crazy and a total BS to say – “I want to serve the Filipino people,” when in fact you just want to get your way.

Villar was asked in a recent presidential debate in DLSU whether he agrees to limiting the political campaign spending or not. Here’s his reply:

“In limiting campaign spending, we should not shut the door to those candidates who are poor, whose mother was not a celebrity, whose sibling was not a celebrity, so that they can be known…Even though I have a lot of infomercials, I don’t think I can reach the level of popularity of a popular celebrity or a popular mother,” he said in an apparent jab against Aquino. Aquino’s mother is the late president Corazon Aquino while his sister is popular TV host Kris Aquino.

Agree. But how about those who have nothing to spend? Are you not shutting the door on those poorer than you? Here’s his reply:

“It depends on what you do. For example, in business, if you have no money, it’s probably because you don’t know how to manage. You will be giving a big problem to the country if you run when you can’t even manage your business.”

You be the judge. However, I still don’t believe that it is justifiable, whether it is him or his opponents. It’s pure BS!

Finale

Winning is all that matters, apparently. The problem lies in the people, yet the problem also lies in the system. As long as the system allows such behavior, and as long as people allow it to happen, the Philippines will remain last in South East Asia. The once pride of Filipinos, now is dead last in overall standing, yet first in corruption.

The Philippines, Lately Lately, the Philippines is feeling the toll of the upcoming...
The Filipino is Worth Living and Dying For As Ninoy died saying, 'The Filipino is worth dying for,'...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Filipino Educator Named CNN Hero of the Year

Nathan — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:43:45 +0000

Indeed, a hero is within each and everyone of us. It only takes one to change another, to change the world. It is as I believe, that everyone has the capacity to move mountains, that given that moment and the opportunity to do so, we all exhibit the hero within us.

Efren Peñaflorida was named CNN Hero of the Year for 2009. He is a Filipino educator who strives to educate the youth in his own way, through pushcart classrooms, as an alternative to them joining local gangs. (Read more on Efren)

Below is a video of the awarding and his heartwarming speech (via CNN).

Here are the words he delivered upon receiving the award:

“Our planet is filled with heroes, young and old, rich and poor, man, woman of different colors, shapes and sizes. We are one great tapestry. Each person has a hidden hero within, you just have to look inside you and search it in your heart, and be the hero to the next one in need. So to each and every person inside this theater and for those who are watching at home, the hero in you is waiting to be unleashed. Serve, serve well, serve others above yourself and be happy to serve. As I always tell to my co-volunteers … you are the change that you dream, as I am the change that I dream, and collectively we are the change that this world needs to be.”

Let not community service efforts and humanitarian acts start and end when there are natural disasters like Typhoon Ondoy/Ketsana, Hurricane Katrina or the deadly quakes and tsunamis in Thailand, Indonesia and China. Let us all be inspired by him and the other equally deserving candidates. Let’s be heroes to one another.

Pacquiao vs. Cotto, History Indeed

Nathan — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:34:28 +0000

The Pacquiao vs. Cotto fight was simply historical, especially to the Filipino people. Pacquiao, winning his 7th title surely is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the country, and the world. We all admire him for his wits and guts inside the ring.

Pacquiao is indeed a Fighter Like no Other. As Bob Arum said, “The Philippines has only one social welfare system, and it’s Manny Pacquiao.” He’s everywhere: sports, politics, showbusiness, and music. (As it is in the Philippines, famous personalities multitask. Though I really wish for him not to enter politics…)

For those who weren’t able to watch, or for those who want to reminisce, below are clips of the coverage, in order (5 videos) via YouTube.

Google History in 2 Minutes Google UK has created The Google Story. See the clip...
The Philippines, Lately Lately, the Philippines is feeling the toll of the upcoming...
Political Campaign Overspending is Pure BS I don't know how it is with other countries, but...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Is Entrance Security False Security?

Nathan — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 12:07:53 +0000

Been in the Philippines, or staying in the Philippines? Then you must’ve noticed that all malls, buildings, and train stations in the Philippines have guards stationed at the entrance. Upon going inside the building, mall or establishment, you will be greeted by a table with 2 guards (one male, one female) to inspect your belongings for items that may cause harm to the general public, such as bombs. In some places, there are also bomb-sniffing dogs.

I’m not sure if this kind of situation can be seen elsewhere, but as far as I know, this is what is known as “only in the Philippines.”

What could have brought about this picture?

I can’t remember where or when this started. But I guess it was because of the bomb threats and the problem the Philippines has, down south. Basilan in Mindanao has been a very famous place, thanks to the Abu Sayyafs. One unforgettable incident was that of the couple Martin and Gracia Burnham, of which Gracia recounted her experiences in a book: In the Presence of My Enemies. Since then, the Philippines has been seen as a dangerous destination, which I wouldn’t agree in totality (but I’ll leave it for now, as it is of a different subject and argument altogether).

Theory vs. Practice

So, in theory, providing more security personnel and equipment, and having more police visibility averts risks. Hold on. Does it really? Police visibility might. But security guards at entrances, might not. Let’s break it down into chunks:

Location and manner of inspection - The inspection site is noteworthy, as the entrance is usually the first entry point. In essence, everyone who goes in “knows” they are safe. That is if the inspection was done in the correct manner. In most cases, the metal detectors don’t really serve any purpose, since they all the time; and the guards seem like live decorations scanning the surface of bags and other belongings for potential bombs. I’m sure there are cases when they actually find something that is suspicious. These precautionary measures seem useless in the general sense. I guess the key here is visibility.
Human (Filipino?) mentality – When everything is in order and seems safe, most of the time, it is. So why bother to be prepared? So when there’s no recent news on actual bombs that go off, or actual robberies that happen, people tend to become lax. So do the security personnel. When there’s news of a terrible happening, just like the recent Rolex robbery in Greenbelt 5, at once and on cue, everyone becomes agitated and becomes more conscious. Guards become more careful in inspecting. A vicious cycle.
Criminal psychology – If you were a criminal planting bombs, will you go inside the mall perhaps and flaunt your bomb on top of your hand-carried bag? If you have a gun, will you really place it on your belt line? I bet not. But these are the only usual places where checks are being done. If you were a criminal, and want to be successful, you wouldn’t place these deadly objects in plain sight.

Given all these, what do these security precautions provide us then? A false sense of security. But what can we do about it?

Statistics vs. Practicality

The statistics clearly show that there are only a few cases of actual successful attempts. These security detail and equipment do provide a simple first line of defense. Not that effective, yes, but visibility helps lower crime. If you were a guard stationed at the entrance, and you’re swarmed by an angry mob of commuters waiting to go home, would you most likely inspect thoroughly, or just to pass through them? It’s not very practical to scour through each and every belonging a person is bringing with him/her. Despite having a false sense of security, in a way, they still do their job, I guess…

Your thoughts, please.

Paypal now serves Philippine Peso I use Paypal whenever I do online transactions, as it's...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.