Philippine politics and economics

[GoodEnough]

Might as well get used to it. For better or for worse, China's star is ascending, especially in Asia, and particularly in the Philippines.

Conversely, America's star is falling rapidly. America is imploding
OM.

I strongly disagree with most of your post, as I believe that any attempt to draw parallels between Duterte and Trump is specious. In the case of the US, the primary vulture of self-aggrandizement sits in the White House, while here the situation is the obverse. Further, Duterte and his team appear to be trying to implement actual policies, while Trump's so-called policies are limited to 160 characters stemming from random impulses to what passes for his brain.

I do agree however, that China's star is on the rise, and its growing influence is not limited to Asia. China's influence is growing rapidly in various parts of Africa and Latin America as well, due to its willingness to provide massive soft loans related largely to the improvement of infrastructure. The US and, for the most part, the European Union have shunned for decades the sort of large infrastructure projects being enthusiastically supported by China and improved infrastructure is exactly what many developing countries require. Conversely, US assistance--aside from military aid--has for years been tied to "internal reforms" meaning mimicry of US democratic institutions. Chinese aid is not and China--in my opinion quite wisely--doesn't seek to meddle in the internal affairs of the countries it assists, avoiding the trap of self-righteous moralizing. With the recent formation of the Asian Infrastructure Bank, founded by China and supported by US European allies, Chinese influence will continue to grow, not only in Asia but in various regions of the world far removed geographically from China. US and indeed most Western bilateral aid focuses, largely with no success, on the softer, reformation of institutions, and produces little to no tangible outcomes that improve the lives of most people in the developing world.

Chinese infrastructure loans are also conditioned on the willingness of host countries to accept construction and design oversight by Chinese firms, using Chinese products and managed by Chinese engineers, though most of the construction workforce is drawn from local labor pools. Over time, the populations of the countries receiving such assistance will, I imagine, start to associate quality of life improvements resulting from the new infrastructure, with Chinese technology and expertise. US foreign policy is a shortsighted as one of Donald Trump's inane tweets, while the Chinese have a longer-term vision which doesn't depend on whatever news blurb its fearless leader happened to see (or imagine he saw) on Fox News. And to be fair, despite how easy it is to poke fun at America's buffoon-in-chief, China's geopolitical rise and the concomitant US decline did start long prior to the current US administration.

The large unknown outcome of China's vision is the long-term ability of the recipients of the latter's largesse to repay the huge loans they've been given. That is, will the large infrastructure projects create sufficient economic growth to enable host country governments to meet the repayment schedules. If not, the Chinese (according to the loan agreements) will assume ownership of the assets as well as responsibility for their operations and the repercussions of such actions are largely unknown.

GE.

[Omega 3]

More evidence the Chinese invasion into Angeles City is about to begin. China Eastern Airlines announces new service to begin into Clark Airport. http://business.inquirer.net/225911/...t-flying-clark.

Might as well get used to it. For better or for worse, China's star is ascending, especially in Asia, and particularly in the Philippines.

Conversely, America's star is falling rapidly. America is imploding, thanks to the would-be principals of destabilization who seek personal financial gain and who have so successfully brainwashed so many good folk.

Like it or not, Trump is the USA President. Suck it in, and support Trump and support America. "United we stand, divided we fall. " Do not let prevail those vultures who seek only to gain personally by destabilizing the USA, who hope that Trump and the USA will collapse.

Similarly, here, Duterte is the Philippine president. According to surveys, 80% plus of the Filipino people support Duterte. However, here also are those vultures who seek only to gain personally by destabilizing the Philippines, who hope that Duterte and the Philippines will collapse.

I know that there are those who will agree with me, and there are those who will strongly disagree with me, but this is my own honest personal opinion and prayer.

Yours sincerely,

OM.

[Screaming Beaver]

More evidence the Chinese invasion into Angeles City is about to begin. China Eastern Airlines announces new service to begin into Clark Airport. http://business.inquirer.net/225911/...t-flying-clark.

[Omega 3]

Dear Ikks,

Ah, yes, miss those wild China nights in Dongguan (and even Shenzhen).

Miss the fine Chinese silk kitties.

OM.

My bad. "Tai yihan la" = "sayang na" = "What a pity".

OM.

[Omega 3]

The main reason is President Xi Jinping's "3 Vices" campaign started at Chinese New Year 2014. The campaign all but destroyed South China as a monger's paradise.

Now middle class and wealthier Chinese with cash are travelling to PI to monger just like their wealthier Korean neighbors.

Ikks.

Dear Ikks,

Ah, yes, miss those wild China nights in Dongguan (and even Shenzhen).

Miss the fine Chinese silk kitties.

[Non-English text deleted by Admin]

OM.

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[Ikksman]

The one child policy which China initiated decades ago has now left an acute shortage of available young beaver in China. It's no wonder these China men are now invading the Philippines looking for action. You can expect this problem to get worse.

The influx of Chinese mongers is nothing to do with the one child policy. The Chinese men who miss out on the girls are the peasants and working class who could never afford to travel to AC.

The main reason is President Xi Jinping's "3 Vices" campaign started at Chinese New Year 2014. The campaign was implemented to help eliminate ex-President Jiang Zemin's remaining power-base in China as it was a political faction threatening Xi Jinping's hold on power. The campaign all but destroyed South China as a monger's paradise.

Now middle class and wealthier Chinese with cash are travelling to PI to monger just like their wealthier Korean neighbors.

Ikks.

[Dg8787]

The roots of the current squeeze go back a generation. Sex-selective abortions became common in China in the 1990's as a result of the country's strict (now somewhat laxer) one-child-per-couple policy and a traditional preference for sons. A few years later they became increasingly common in India, also because of a preference for sons and helped by the growing availability of prenatal tests to determine sex. In 2010-15, according to the UN Population Division, China's sex ratio at birth was 116 boys to 100 girls; in India the figure was 111. Though these ratios have fallen a little since their peaks, they are still far above the natural rate, which is 105 to 100.

http://www.economist.com/news/asia/2...ocieties-asias

Cheap ultrasound technology combined with backward cultural beliefs and practices have sealed the downfall of these two countries. This is reflected in the horny hordes of their male citizens now overrunning the Philippines. In another decade Philippine beaver will be worth its weight in gold.

Historically when the ratio is above 105 there is a war to thin out the males.

[Chocha Monger]

The one child policy which China initiated decades ago has now left an acute shortage of available young beaver in China. It's no wonder these China men are now invading the Philippines looking for action. You can expect this problem to get worse.

The roots of the current squeeze go back a generation. Sex-selective abortions became common in China in the 1990's as a result of the country's strict (now somewhat laxer) one-child-per-couple policy and a traditional preference for sons. A few years later they became increasingly common in India, also because of a preference for sons and helped by the growing availability of prenatal tests to determine sex. In 2010-15, according to the UN Population Division, China's sex ratio at birth was 116 boys to 100 girls; in India the figure was 111. Though these ratios have fallen a little since their peaks, they are still far above the natural rate, which is 105 to 100.

http://www.economist.com/news/asia/2...ocieties-asias

Cheap ultrasound technology combined with backward cultural beliefs and practices have sealed the downfall of these two countries. This is reflected in the horny hordes of their male citizens now overrunning the Philippines. In another decade Philippine beaver will be worth its weight in gold.

[Screaming Beaver]

Data from the Department of Tourism (DOT) show Chinese visitor arrivals jumped by some 76.5 percent to 85,948 in January 2017, the largest growth recorded among 12 major tourism markets of the Philippines.

The one child policy which China initiated decades ago has now left an acute shortage of available young beaver in China. It's no wonder these China men are now invading the Philippines looking for action. You can expect this problem to get worse.

[FreebieFan]

Well put OM, and if my recent observations are accurate, I'd say you're correct. Chinese guys all over the place in Manila, and from what I saw they were welcome. Their only drawback for the girls is that they speak about zero English, which of course, hasn't stopped the Koreans or the Japanese.

GE.

On most recent trip stayed in an airbnb place in Salcedo. There were 8 apartments on the floor I was on. 6 were occupied by chinese and one by a korean. All the chinese hd doors of apartments open all the time as is their habit.

Thankfully my mandarin is ok to be able to ask them nicely to close their doors as they were disturbing me, and whoever was the date dujour.

Thereafer I got many happy " Ni Haos " from them all every day, after they knew I was working in China. Walking on the streets of Salcedo / Bel Air is was truly surprised by how many chinese they were. Endless numbers of them. All supposedly students but some long time residents. Their numbers are definately growing. Last year, the number of chinese visitors grew by 37 according to tourism. Gov. Ph.

[Chocha Monger]

Data from the Department of Tourism (DOT) show Chinese visitor arrivals jumped by some 76.5 percent to 85,948 in January 2017, the largest growth recorded among 12 major tourism markets of the Philippines.

This helped boost the total number of tourists who visited the country to 631,639, from the 542,258 who arrived in January 2016.

"We are now seeing the fruits of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte's reaching out to China. Doors to more economic opportunities and people-to-people exchanges are wider more than ever, now that ties between Manila and Beijing have seen a new day," Tourism Secretary Wanda Corazon T. Teo said in a statement.

The huge leap in Chinese visitors in January enabled the market to land in third place among the top tourism markets of the Philippines.

Despite the 76.5-percent jump in Chinese tourists, this growth was actually lower than the 130.2-percent rise recorded in January 2016. In addition, there was an almost 30-percent drop in visiting balikbayan or Philippine passport holders permanently residing abroad (excluding overseas Filipino workers), according to DOT data.

South Korea remained the largest source of visitors for the Philippines, rising by some 4. 9 percent to 154,367. This was followed by the United States at 99,435 (up 17.7 percent); China; Japan, 51,516 (up 23.6 percent); and Australia, 27,826 (up 10.1 percent).

Other top sources of tourists in January 2017 were Canada at 24,352 (up 15.4 percent); Taiwan, 21,926 (up 41.3 percent); the UK, 15,747 (up 4. 5 percent); Singapore, 12,000 (down by 10.5 percent); and India, 11,805 (up 31.84 percent). India makes its first appearance in the list of top visitor markets of the Philippines edging out Malaysia, 10,215 (down 7.7 percent); Hong Kong, 10,006 (up 23.04 percent); and Germany, 8,917 (up 7 percent).

The DOT also reported that the average expenditure of tourists in the Philippines amounted to P3,659 per day, while each tourist spent an average of P38,823 (about $761) during the month in review. Tourists also stayed an average of 10.61 nights.

South Koreans were the top spenders in January 2017 at P6. 5 billion, followed by Americans at some P3. 7 billion the Japanese at P2. 12 billion, Australians at some P1. 6 billion and Canadians at P1. 09 billion.

[GoodEnough]

ES, I think that the Chinese now have just as much (if not more) "peso-nality" as the rest of us.

OM.

Well put OM, and if my recent observations are accurate, I'd say you're correct. Chinese guys all over the place in Manila, and from what I saw they were welcome. Their only drawback for the girls is that they speak about zero English, which of course, hasn't stopped the Koreans or the Japanese.

GE.

[Omega 3]

Do you think Filipinas are that excited about Chinese guys? Knowing how Asians have a strong distaste for their neighbors, I wouldn't be surprised if they are put off by them.

ES, I think that the Chinese now have just as much (if not more) "peso-nality" as the rest of us.

OM.

[Eszpresszo]

Remember the China one child policy and the propensity for selective abortions of females. The result is truly hordes of excess males in China, they will need to find females somewhere or the social implications are not good at all.

The mongering implications of them finding women is not good for us at all either.

Do you think Filipinas are that excited about Chinese guys? Knowing how Asians have a strong distaste for their neighbors, I wouldn't be surprised if they are put off by them.

[Omega 3]

This from today's Inquirer with a few notable facts showing how the church et al are totally barmy IMHO and manipulative.

*** Now contrast this to the UK which is lightyears (maybe solar systems) ahead of the Philippines.

*** While some may disagree with the thrust BBC article / story they won't disagree am sure that the Philippines lags behind much in the world in sex education in schools.

Interesting op-ed piece in today's Manila Times, confirming and extrapolating on the perceptive observations and opinions posted here previously by WR and several others of our own commentators.

The MT article hypothesizes that EDSA merely represented a "changing of the guard" from one ruling oligarchical group to another, and did not help the Filipino poor at all. Empirical data is offered to support the assertion that per capita GDP in the Philippines failed to advance, in part allegedly due to the dogma of the Catholic Church impeding social and economic progress in the Philippines. Reportedly, in 1972 the Philippines had the second highest per capita GDP in ASEAN, but now has the lowest per capita GDP.

Here are some interesting excerpts from the article:

"Did EDSA matter to us? Did it change the lives of tens of millions of Filipinos trapped in poverty? Or was it useless for most of the poor"?

"In a nutshell: Nothing much happened. The EDSA Revolution restored the power of our oligarchs, and the country's oligarchic structure created by colonial powers, and of course, its ideological superstructure, Spanish Catholicism".

"The religious spin given to the Revolution (the Virgin Mary was claimed to have willed it) even strengthened the backward, medieval version of Hispanic Catholicism that partly explains the backwardness of nearly all nations that that had been colonized by the Iberian colonialists. No wonder we have been unable to undertake even the weakest program for population control, making us the Asian country with the fastest-growing population of mostly poor people".

" Twenty-eight years after EDSA, our major competitors in Asean (Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia) have overtaken us. Malaysia's GDP per capita of $10.878 is four times our $2,640; Thailand's $5,775 is twice. We have the lowest GDP per capita now, at $2,640. We used to have, in 1972, the second highest".

" So, what happened that we're so left behind"?

"The heroine of EDSA basically restored the pre-martial law Constitution, and therefore the country's (pre-existing) political and economic structure".

"It's the sad, sad reality of this moment in history we've celebrated as a glorious episode. EDSA just didn't improve much the lives of most Filipinos. We have got to move on and change things".

-- Of course, as an aside, as an old friend of mine used to astutely observe, "Thank God things just don't work quite right here and there is no real economic progress. Where would we go otherwise"?

OM.

P.S. For those who may be interested in reading the entire article, entitled "Was EDSA useless for the Filipino masses?" here is the link: http://www.manilatimes.net/edsa-usel...masses/314735/.