Electric companiesâ P20-B highway robbery thwarted
There were two big news stories in the past two days affecting the lives of millions of Filipinos in Metro Manila and adjacent towns, but which, surprisingly or unsurprisingly, were…
The âPorscheâ reason why FOI wonât be passed
It may seem a petty, even preposterous, reason. But given the paranoia of this President, it could be the reason why President Aquinoâfor all his blah-blahs about transparency in governmentâdoesnât…
A more ânuancedâ approach to our China dispute
Chinaâs driving away of two Philippine boats last week is another indication that our territorial dispute with Asiaâs emerging superpower will dog us not just for decades, but even, I…
Aquino government clueless over PH unemployment problem
The report of the National Statistics Office that the countryâs unemployment rate has worsened to 7.5 percent last January (from 7.1 percent January 2013) has thrown cold water over President…
PLDT now an Indonesian-Japanese joint venture
Sixth of a series on the Salim empire in the Philippines â The finest trick of the devil is to persuade you that he does not exist.â  âCharles Baudelaire, 1869…
PLDT pension used to build Salimâs PH media empire
Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. built its multi-platform media empire by nearly using up its 20,000 employeesâ benefits and retirement fund, officially called the PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund. PLDTâs controlling…
The newest media mogul to take control of Star
Fourth of a series on the Salim Empire in the Philippines. And whatâor whoâis that emerging Philippine media giant? Itâs Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co., controlled by Indonesian tycoon Anthoni…
How Salim group skirted foreign ownership limits
The Indonesian Anthoni Salimâs empire has grown since 1998 to be the countryâs largest conglomerateâcontroversially based on public utility firms where foreign investors are purportedly restricted by the Constitution. Chances…
Again, stop Globe from texting those irritating @?#*&!! ads!
If that title seems familiar, itâs because it should be. Itâs basically the title of my column in July last year, written when I blew my top after being awakened…
Salim brought in zero funds to capture Meralco
Second of a series on the Salim Empire in the Philippines ONE compelling economic justification for foreign investments is that a capital-deficient developing country like ours needs capital from abroad,…