OFW remittances thinning out

According to our ear-spies, OFW remittances are thinning out due to the very stiff competition abroad for overseas workers. The only thing going for OFWs is the fact that most countries still consider Filipinos as their best choice. However, Chinese, Indian and Bangladeshi workers are gaining ground in the market because they have cheaper rates and other more practical choices they offer. With Indian and Bangladeshi workers, however, the language barrier is the most difficult and expensive to overcome, unlike Filipinos who are more fluent in English. On the medical side, many doctors are now taking up special courses on nursing and cross-cultural care-giving just so they would have better and broader options for work abroad. Filipino nurses and caregivers are still in high demand overseas, especially in the United States and some European countries. However, as business entities abroad started cutting down on costs, even highly-skilled OFWs are being shrugged aside for a cheaper labor force. If, within a decade, Filipino workers will not offer better and fresh services and talents to the world, it is almost certain that other countries will take over the market. You know what this means to the economy, don’t you?

Merry X’mas, Merry Go-’round

Latest word from our ear-spies is that DTI Secretary Mar Roxas has tendered his resignation to the President since last Wednesday because he wants "to seek the electorate’s mandate for a higher office." It appears quite plainly that a pre-Merry Christmas merry go-’round is happening even as the election season draws near. Our ear-spies overheard that Vince Perez will soon become Finance Secretary and Oscar Reyes as Energy Czar. It was overheard that Che Cristobal will be OIC as the DTI prepares someone from the private sector to take Roxas’ place. Despite the promise of "neon-sign" positions, not too many politicians are enthusiastic in joining the President’s cabinet due to the very short "shelf life." In this country, a possible change of president almost always means a change in the members of Cabinet. Bench-warming for the next guy is not a job description many politicians would readily go for.

If GMA Flips, She Will Surely Flop

GMA’s stance to lift the moratorium on the death penalty, which was supported by Vice President Teofisto Guingona and a number of socio-civic sectors, got a lot of people anxious. Not because they are against capital punishment, but because they’re afraid GMA might once more change her mind when politics and pressure from the Church dictate it. According to our ear-spies, many anti-crime organizations and civic action groups are apprehensive whenever GMA makes "final" statements, like crushing the remnants of the Abu Sayyaf and the international terrorist organization Jemaah Islamayah (JI) with the "very timely" capture of Commander Robot.

Speaking of "good timing," word on the street is that the capture of Commander Robot is just a "circus sideshow" to boost the image of the President. The timing of the capture and presentation to the media, according to rumors, is so perfect, rumor spread quickly that Robot is allegedly an "asset of government," much like Joey de Leon of the dreaded Red Scorpion gang. But we all know how conspiracy stories go. Whatever it is, GMA cannot afford to flip this time because if she does, she just might flop.

Schemes And Scams

According to our ear-spies, a number of legitimate foreign

product companies are distressed about the seemingly growing number of investment and multi-level marketing scams in the market lately. Experts say some product-based network marketing companies like to claim that their schemes are not scams because they have "products" to sell. However, an authority on multi-level marketing - Dr. Jon Taylor - has conducted a research study and found that 99.5-percent of recruits of product-based MLM firms allegedly loose money. Many experts in the field of sales believe that multi-level marketing schemes that inevitably result in more than 95 percent of recruits losing money should be considered de facto scams. Although experts say that it’s sometimes difficult to pinpoint what is an illegal marketing scheme and what is not, many sectors are urging government to make stronger crackdowns on this pseudo-business entities.

Spy Tidbiz

Aside from the usual jammed-packed shopping malls this Christmas season, vehicular traffic jams are the next biggest problem. Makati City, the country’s hub of business and upscale leisure, is no different now to a jammed artery on the verge of a cardiac arrest. It takes at least an hour for a simple car cruise to the business district in Ayala even if you leave near the vicinity. EDSA is now a long winding showroom of bumper-to-bumper vehicles, making the seatbelt law almost useless. The Skyway is so congested nowadays, it makes its toll fees look like ransom pay. Of course, there’s the LRT and the MRT. But then again, there’s the Yultide terrorist bomb scare. No other choice but to get into brisk walking. Besides health considerations, it beats the hell out of spending obscenely for gas.

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