Enrile’s power bills

One way Congress can help ailing industries in the provinces, particularly in an economic downturn, is by helping lower their production cost through cheaper electricity. And this is precisely what Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile had in mind in filing Senate Bill 3147 or the Uniform Franchise Tax Act, and Senate Bill 3148 or the Electricity Rate Reduction Act.

What’s next for Mariano Tanenglian?

Business circles are now rife with speculative talk about the cause and true nature of the feud between wealthy Chinese-Filipino businessman Lucio Tan and one of his brothers, Mariano Chua Tanenglian. And one cannot help but wonder if this feud is actually the beginning of the end of the Tan family’s mighty business empire.

To and from Cojuangco town

In terms of business focus, it seems amiss for Cojuangco-chaired San Miguel Corp. (SMC) to be interested in a sizable stake in the proposed 88-km toll road that will extend the North Luzon Expressway from Mabalacat, Pampanga, all the way to La Union, coursing through the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway. But then, other than the potential revenues from the project, on the political front, it also makes sense for SMC chairman Eduardo Cojuangco Jr. to favor the tollway investment. After all, it improves access to and from his own bailiwick of Tarlac, and is expected to also pass his son Mark’s legislative district in Pangasinan.

US: Resiliency in times of crisis

I was in New York City, and then in parts of Eastern Pennsylvania, from mid- to late-October to observe up close the 2008 US presidential campaign. The trip, hosted by the US State Department, involved 26 other foreign journalists from Asia, Africa, the former Russia and the Middle East, and included coverage of the third presidential debate in Hofstra University in Long Island, New York, on October 15 (October 16 morning in Manila).

Focusing on food production

Several years back, the biggest instant noodle maker in Thailand launched the Mama Noodles Index, which essentially reflected the sales of its Mama Noodles. The index was reportedly relatively steady since Thailand’s recovery from the East Asian financial crisis that began in 1997. But it was in 2005 that a significant increase in noodle sales was reported. That increase, while seemingly indicative of greater purchasing power, was actually viewed as a shift in preference for cheaper food. Instant noodles were reportedly regarded as a more inferior food, and since people could no longer afford more expensive food, ramen purchases thus increased.

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.