venting on several issues

I am not that expert on economics that is why I am as confused as you are with the recent price hikes. Today there are transport strikes going on and somehow I could sympathize with them for complaining since they are purely dependent on diesel prices to earn a decent living. But I guess I understand the situation of the government always commending themselves that they did a good job. Of course they will have to do this or else they will be percieve as weak government if they would accept that the economy is not doing any good.

personally i don't even feel that our economy is improving... sigh... the government has always been bragging about the country's economy going better with just peso going up as its sole basis... the admin failed to point out that it's due to more Filipinos going out for work, sooner or later we'll be losing human resources, how can we possibly enjoy our peso by that time. plus it has been the current government's trend to drop price of gas by 30 cents only to raise it to 50 cents 3 months after :-)

Hi, Cefaz! I am also very frustrated by the increasing cost of living here in the Philippines. It gets harder and harder to get by with an income which does not seem to be increasing. I do feel that the economy IS getting better, because the peso is performing strongly and stock markets are also showing good performances. It just hasn't filtered down to the consumers at the moment. Hopefully, in time, we will be able to pay off our country's debt, politicians will stop pocketing money from our taxes (which came from the sweat of our brow), and we'll finally be able to enjoy a better economy. Wishful thinking, maybe? Who knows. It's better to be optimistic rather than pessimistic. We've been through worse, we'll survive.

yeah... i also dont get how our peso is doing well but the prices are doing that good... hmmm economy stuff...

you know what really burns? they keep on touting that the economy is improving because the dollar exchange rate has gone down but prices are still way up. and what actually happens now is that not even children of OFWs can enjoy life because their purchasing power is now reduced just like the locally employed people. ako ay isang doctor and teacher at damang dama ko....ang kahirapan.

i dont have any idea about those price increase cause all i could think of is the peso-dollar exchange! whew! everyday the peso is stronger against the dollar and yet those prices are increasing..shouldnt be the other way around? just thinking of the exchange rate makes me think that we are getting worst everyday but still that doesnt stop me from wishing to go home. here in doha..the crude oil isnt expensive and i think its one of the most cheapest stuff to buy here. but the rest is more expensive than in our country! the food, the house rent and other stuffs. and with the exchange rate its way too expensive! and about the government? they were too good on bragging and corrupting i should add.. ^-^

The Philippine President belongs to the capitalist group and she worked for capital even when she was still in the Senate thru contractualization and so the employee status became unstable and a person works for 5 months then has to look for another job, usually. Therefore, everything of course is pro capital. Who gains if the peso is strong? Is it not the capital? The situation will remain as long as GMA is the President of the Republic of the Philippines.

I'm not from there but I'm from the US and we are feeling the crunch here too. It makes me so mad because I feel like I'm getting ahead with stuff and then they say oh this price is going up and this price is going up. Our postage price just went up too so it costed me 41 cent for each christmas card that I sent out. The stamp costed more than the card itself. We don't get a break, I don't see how some families make it.

hi cefaz... ^__^ indeed, what's happening to our country is frustrating and actually, annoying. i'm really bad tripped about the increase of price of pan de sal! i love pan de sal. i don't have it for breakfast regularly but when i do, i tend to eat a lot of it. more than i should have. ^__^;; and why should its price increase? when we very well know that the peso is going stronger against dollar and the end effect should be lower prices of commodities?? if the value of dollar is going down and the value of peso is going up and the prices of commodities are going low, then it will be okay for me even if it would mean lower value of my dollar earnings here in myLot. LOL but since its not the case, then its truly annoying. ^__^;; and isa pa si trillanes tarsier. can't he do nothing right?? all he knows is how to start a coup and fail on it. nothing is gained thru his way. he broke the law and the irony of it is he is a senator! he really has a pea-sized brain. i think he just did that Manila Pen scandal to put his pathetic face in the limelight AGAIN.

I may not be from the Philippines but here in the USA we are feeling the crunch as well. Everything goes up cept for the paycheck.

I can feel the tight situation we are in right now because of the rising prices of basic commodities, like the pan de sal, etc. I guess we just have to brace for even more bad news as the New Year comes. But, with lots of prayers, I know we will survive this crisis we are facing now. You're right...we have yet to benefit from the 'gains' in economy our government has been trumpeting about...

Hi cefaz_21! kabayan! It is really sad what we are all experiencing. Actually, I really am pulling my hair everytime I go over my budget. And I knew a lot of families here in our local area that are only eating once a day, 2 pack of noodles mixed with one egg and a cup of rice is all a family of 6 share. Yeah sure thing our economy is really good and the rich are the ones benefitting with all these, don't you think so? That is why so many of our countrymen still risk their lives to go abroad and work. do you think if our economy is really that good, our people wouldn't stay put here? Our government is a lot of baloney! Forgive me for disliking our leaders, but you will once you see the families who come to the house of my grandmother almost everyday to at least ask for noodles, rice or any leftovers and to think my grandmother is not even a wealthy woman! And there is this incident that my aunts tried to help 5 orphan children and brought them to the DSWD and then to the local government, you know what they did? They ask my aunts to just care for them because the government can not take any more basketcase! My aunts were so horrified because they didn't even pity the children who are all malnourished. Oh gosh I can go on and on too with how corrupt and deceiving our government is but you were just asking about the recent price increase. LOL! Anyway, i think the price increase had been felt in almost all parts of the globe but I think we are more affected by it because the salaries and wages of the ordinary Filipino is not sufficient to keep up with all the increasing prices. Just my thoughts. take care and have a nice day! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, kabayan! :)

hello cefaz. The truth is my head sometimes hurt from trying to think of things to stretch the family budget. Everything that has a price tag went up. My biggest headache is our water bill. No matter how I try to be thrifty and thinking of ways to minimize the use of water, our bill is still in the range of P500 to a thousand. Fortunately, our electric bill went down by a few hundreds. I'm really irritated when I go to the supermarket and only to find out that my son's milk price went up by almost P30.00!This kind of price increase will surely eat a lot out of the budget.What can I say about the increasing prices in our country? A big, big headache that I think will never go away.

who is actually believing on the propaganda and public relations of the Arroyo government? i bet the congressmen/women who went with her in the recent trip to europe and those who received the cash-gifts. majority of the filipinos do not believe in this government. it is a pity for the ordinary filipinos who still depend on the social services of the government. but for the most part of the population, the government's services become dispensable and taken-for-granted because they are mediocre services. we, filipinos, deserve better than arroyo.