It is how you look at things…

Since the issue on the crashing stock markets started hitting the newspapers, I have been asked almost every day about what is going to happen next. How is it going to affect our real-estate industry here in the Philippines? So I decided to ask other experts to validate my theories. What I find very interesting is that suddenly there are so many experts in the newspapers with different takes on the issue and opposing predictions. But even some of the most respected and experienced economists wrote that it is very difficult to make accurate predictions on what is going to happen next.

Crow Valley or Basa–not Sacobia

The 600th Air Base Wing commander was visibly irked by reports that the Philippine Air Force contingent is ready to leave Clark for Sacobia Valley.

The collapse of the pyramid of greed

The current global financial crisis somehow brings to my mind a glamorized pyramiding scheme. The only difference perhaps in the pyramiding schemes is that it is undertaken by common people defrauding their “downlines” in a predatory selling of worthless promises of high-yield investments. For some reasons (or lack ), people do invest even their lifetime savings on this kind of fraudulent system only to realize to their remorse that they have lost everything. Some are even left hopelessly drowning in debts because they mistakenly gambled that they can earn greater margins in investing in this scheme.

Why not Manny for president?

That’s Manuel V. Pangilinan, and not just Manuel B. Villar. After all, MVP, just like MBV, is a highly successful business executive who is likewise eminently qualified to be the next Chief Executive of the Republic of the Philippines. And why not elect a true-blue businessman like MVP for president? The Philippines could have in 1992, when former coconut-industry czar Eduardo “Danding” M. Cojuangco Jr. of Tarlac made an unsuccessful bid for the presidency.

Sometimes it is better to be wrong…

Following the recent headlines for the past two weeks about the mother of all bailouts, some prophets (of doom) have started to take advantage of the opportunity again to ride on the issue. Then what? Hoping that people will believe them, stay on the sidelines, observe, stop investing, keep their money and wait and see. Then what? Money stops circulating in the system then they go out and proudly say to the world…See! I told you so! These self-fulfilling prophecies feed the vicious cycle that often leads to the people’s negative reaction if not outright panic. I am talking about real estate.

October 15-31, 2008

The sanctity of contracts

For relationships to last and for business to thrive, TRUST must be sowed and nurtured between the parties. This applies both to personal and business affairs. Every day, each one of us enters into agreements with each other, whether on trivial private affairs or in billions of pesos of business transactions.