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  1. #1
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    Move Over Thailand, the Philippines is Southeast Asia's Strong Man

    With a greater focus on manufacturing, a young population and a president committed to stable growth, the Philippines is pulling ahead






    Move Over Thailand, the Philippines is Southeast Asia's Strong Man

    With a greater focus on manufacturing, a young population and a president committed to stable growth, the Philippines is pulling ahead



    The Philippines is no longer the `sick man of Asia', Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan declared yesterday after the economy grew a better-than-estimated 6.9 percent last quarter from a year earlier. That capped three successive years of above-6-percent growth, placing it well ahead of Thailand, once a growth engine of Southeast Asia.

    Here are five charts that show how the Philippines pulled ahead:


    GDP Growth: While both countries recorded almost-similar growth rates in 2006, the Thai economy has since floundered because of military coups, floods and persistent political uncertainty. The Philippines, on the other hand, has expanded steadily, with President Benigno Aquino's efforts to crack down on corruption and improve the investment climate from the time he took office in 2010 bearing fruit.





    Manufacturing Boom: With rising foreign investment flows, Philippine manufacturing is on the uptick, while Thailand's manufacturing prowess has taken a hit in recent years from the record floods of 2011, smaller R&D investments compared to regional rivals and obsolete technology, particularly in electronics, the Bank of Thailand has said. Thailand’s ranking for innovation in the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Index fell to 67 in 2014 from 33 in 2007, while the Philippines climbed.




    Exports Surge: Philippine exports of items including electronics and apparel have been climbing, with shipments rising about 12 percent last year. In contrast, Thailand's exports fell last year for a second straight year, the first time that has happened in at least two decades, as investors look to diversify to cheaper, more politically stable alternatives from Vietnam to Indonesia.




    Consumption Swell. Rising remittances and wages are fueling domestic consumption in the Philippines, helping counter the uneven global recovery. In Thailand, on the other hand, slower government spending and lingering political uncertainty has crimped private consumption.





    Demographic Dividend. About 31 percent of the Philippine population was 10-24 years old last year, compared with 20 percent in Thailand, according to the United Nations Population Fund. The average fertility rate in the Philippines from 2010-2015 is estimated at 3.1 percent compared with Thailand's 1.4 percent. Little wonder then that Thailand is seeing the most rapid reduction in the ranks of its working-age population in Southeast Asia.

    Move Over Thailand, the Philippines is Southeast Asia's Strong Man - Bloomberg Business


    All true- but the Fil's still has a fair way to catch up. Then again, at the end of WW2, Burma was seemingly better placed than Thailand- a stronger educated sector (U Thant, 2nd UN Sec Gen, was Burmese), better infrastructure inherited from the Brits, and a bigger rice producer. Politics matters.

  2. #2
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    Cool... now all they need to do is sort out their cooking.

  3. #3
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    High level of skilled workers, high levels of educated workers and seemingly willing to do almost anything to provide for their families...I won't go into the down side...

    Filipinos are pretty fair workers and the best English speakers in SEA including Singapore. About time.

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by Neo View Post
    Cool... now all they need to do is sort out their cooking.

    Indeed...an embarrassing cuisine.


  5. #5
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    The Philippines is, for the most part, run-down.

    Palawan is awesome.

    Bor(ing)cay can suck a bag of dicks.

    But overall I like the Phils.

  6. #6
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    If the overflow of overseas Filipino workers/employees were to suddenly shut down, the PI economy would go south.

    The base of the Philippine economy.

  7. #7
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    That may be changing.... but at least there are nice jobs O/S for Thai workers in Israel. Looks like we'll need the remittances.

  8. #8
    Thailand Expat terry57's Avatar
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    Suppose the question is,

    Would you want to live there or in Thailand where the food is good and the Hospitals are competent. ?

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by terry57 View Post
    Suppose the question is,

    Would you want to live there or in Thailand where the food is good and the Hospitals are competent. ?
    Why would one use comparatives?

  10. #10
    Thailand Expat terry57's Avatar
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    ^

    well Jeff,

    If I was 20 years old again I would not be thinking about the medical aspect but considering I'm 57 the medical side of things is quite important.

    There is the comparison.

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by terry57 View Post
    ^

    well Jeff,

    If I was 20 years old again I would not be thinking about the medical aspect but considering I'm 57 the medical side of things is quite important.

    There is the comparison.
    Right.
    Everyone has their own priorities.
    To each his own.

    I'm considering social first, whereas the PI would never be in the realm of possibilities - they're much to under the influence of the of the West....and Catholic. Connections and thought process have been compromised.

    No thanks. I'll take a rain check.

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by terry57 View Post
    Suppose the question is,

    Would you want to live there or in Thailand where the food is good and the Hospitals are competent. ?

    Hospitals here are excellent - if you're in one of the top notch ones in Manila or Alabang. Trust me - I know.

  13. #13
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    They also do better webcam porn than the Thais (so I have heard that is)

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by Davis Knowlton View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by terry57 View Post
    Suppose the question is,

    Would you want to live there or in Thailand where the food is good and the Hospitals are competent. ?

    Hospitals here are excellent - if you're in one of the top notch ones in Manila or Alabang. Trust me - I know.
    And there are many 'less than stellar' hospitals in Thailand as well.

    I always thought that the Phills got a bad rap on food- pork adobo is delicious

  15. #15
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    I think the "weather," patterns in PI are the biggest negatives, not the people or its medical facilities...mostly US type medical staffs with good credentials.

    Poverty is still pretty much in your face and the occasional Muslim kidnapping of foreigners for cash. The government seems or appears to be stabilizing from previous years as well graft while still predominant is on the wane as incomes increase.

    I remember back in the 80's our Filipino workers in Saudi were forced to have their pay sent to Marco's people prior to being passed on to their families. Marco's would deduct his personal "Tax," and then pass on the balance.

    Those days are gone.

  16. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by thaimeme View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by terry57 View Post
    ^

    well Jeff,

    If I was 20 years old again I would not be thinking about the medical aspect but considering I'm 57 the medical side of things is quite important.

    There is the comparison.
    Right.
    Everyone has their own priorities.
    To each his own.

    I'm considering social first, whereas the PI would never be in the realm of possibilities - they're much to under the influence of the of the West....and Catholic. Connections and thought process have been compromised.

    No thanks. I'll take a rain check.
    Jeff prefers his imbeciles to be without religion.

  17. #17
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    but considering I'm 57
    you have been 57 for a long time now terry.

  18. #18
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    If i was to move to SE Asia again Phils would be my destination, great country and nice people, hopefully they will sort out there problems and become prosperous.

  19. #19
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    The Phils are more dangerous than Thailand.

    Everyday things like foodhygiene:
    Had rotten meat served in restaurants twice, been sick several times.

    ...and the level of violence:
    During 2 years living in Manila, I was threatened several times, twice with a knife, witnessed a shootout and my home was burgled.

  20. #20
    or TizYou?
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    I've only been Irving in the Philippines for a couple of months now, but so far I'm impressed.

    I might be still suffering from rose colored glasses though. Ask me again in 18 months.

    It's nice not having to learn a foreign language or talk in broken English.

  21. #21
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    I've lived here 19 years. Never had a problem with food, violence, theft, or anything else.
    Lived in Thailand for six years, and also never had any problems.

    Quite glad I live here.

    I wouldn't want to live here poor...but then I wouldn't want to live anywhere poor.

  22. #22
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    I lived in Thailand for 10 years and never felt accepted, only tolerated. The more competent I became in Thai the more I realized that the locals don't like us. Having said that, I had a couple of Thai girl friends that I would trust as much as I would any person. There are good and bad in every country/society.

    Living in Thailand, I visited the Phils every year, usually for a couple of months. I always got along and learned the main difference between Thais and Filipinos:

    1 Most Thais want to live in Thailand- its the center of their universe.

    2 Most Filipinos want to get the Hell out of Dodge!

  23. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lancelot View Post
    I lived in Thailand for 10 years and never felt accepted, only tolerated.
    My woman even goes to the extent of labeling my American Shorthair cat as a farang cat, even though it was bred and born in Thailand. "Your cat not same as Thai cat."

  24. #24
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    OP, good points, but social problems are still too high.

    How about Cambodia, it's on the up, Open Sky policy welcomes foreign investors, year Business Visa no problem. When things started going south in Thailand with Mil JT I set myself up there. Internationally accepted VISA credit card, internet banking, apartment ready to rent... (Thai) human factor is the problem. Malaysia or Indonesia - no, not ready for being infidel and beheaded by local kamnan - S. Korea and Japan real options and good money. But that would mean losing my lifestyle. Europe: Not till the hell freezes and burns.

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