Bank stability in the Philippines
By JoeAm I was surprised at the shock wave that rolled through banking and economic news reports on the announced bankruptcy of Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Philippines. Hanjin is a Korean shipbuilding company that operates in the Subic shipyard. The bankruptcy left Philippine banks holding the bag for a reported $412 million in loans, and … Continue reading
Tragedy of the Commons in the Philippines
By Chemrock Juan has a few cows which graze daily in the small field outside the village, together with scores of other cows that belong to fellow villagers. He makes a decent living from milk production. An opportunity came for Juan to double his herd. He knows nothing about optimum herd size, but he has … Continue reading
Electricity, Part 3: Epira is a lame duck with a non-performing WESM
By Chemrock The continuing high cost of electricity fuels clamor for repealing EPIRA (Electric Power Industry Reform Act 2001) and revert the power sector to a public run service. Has Epira delivered on its mandate to bring about affordable electricity in a more efficient and competitive market? This is a 3-part series on electricity. The first … Continue reading
China’s goals
By JoeAm My sources of information are spread around the globe, a giant spider web, each node a listening post. One source is a particularly intelligent student of the Philippine condition and he warns me that the Philippines is in bed with the wrong dragon. Given that he spells realise with an ‘s’ I think … Continue reading




