Investing in iPad?

A university in the visayas required the students to buy the P27,000 iPad. They even spread the news that their enrolment goes up because of the result of this new way of "learning".

As a parent is it worth to invest our P27,000 in a tablet?

I am teaching business subjects for the past 9 years and I came into conclusion that the iPad and the likes of it are not the right tool to develop critical thinkers. Here are my reasons:

1. Instead of following instructions of the professors, the students are too darn distracted.

2. Though some tablet has FreeThinker software, still students can not take notes using the iPad. Worse, they can not even edit their documents.

3. Since clumsiness is part of the territory when you are young, there are some students forgetting where they left their tablet and dropping the P27K iPad will be common in campus corridors.

4. We have to accept that Steve Jobs and his pals created iPad to entertain the users.For you to read digital books is a secondary reason, that is why when they market it they always say : it is your best choice to watch video, view photos, listen to music, play games, with satisfying and fun. Education? never mentioned.

5. maybe you are not aware, you can not replace the battery of the iPad. What will you do then?

6. iPad IS NOT DESIGN FOR CONTENT CREATION.

My dear friends nothing beats creativity and critical thinking inside the classroom. Good professors,well written books and a sturdy laptop or netbook are the need of your children.

Go ahead and buy your children the iPad or the other tablets flooding the market
but be ready to see your children listening to songs, watch video, Internet, email and so on in every second that they like it.

They will do it not only in your home but also inside MY CLASSROOM.

Expect peso to appreciate to P41

The peso could appreciate to the P41-per-dollar territory by year-end as investors in search of yields continue to flock to Asian markets including the Philippines(Alegado, 2011).

This a good news and a bad news as well. Let us revisit our micro and macroeconomics. A strong currency is good because:
1. Investment grade status of the Philippines will improved.
2. The debt ratios of the country will improved.
3. Inflation will be controlled.
4. We can buy foreign goods (such as iPAD and laptops )at lower prices.
5. Buy more domestic goods and services.
The strong currency is bad news because:
1. it hurts domestic producers or exporters because it decreases the foreign demand for their goods and services
2. Less money for OFWs and their families.

 If Filipino enterprises increase their domestic sales and Filipinos consume or buy more Filipino made products then the strong currency will positively affect our economy. This is what the Japanese, the Koreans and the Chinese did for them to have a strong economy. Added to that the Philippines should produce more goods and services that are bought and consumed by consumers in order for the economy to have solid growth.

Why is it that President Aquino's 2nd SONA failed to mentioned the concrete goals how to generate or increase employment opportunities and how to increase production and consumption of goods and services. This is the cycle of growth we need and should focus on...

Arnel L. Cadelina
nelcadelina@blogspot.com


Reference:
Alegado,A. (2011, July 25).Peso seen at P41 by yearend, Business World,p.S2/1.

The Filipino Investor pays tribute to Rizal@150

When you study at the Ateneo, whether undergraduate or post graduate, the images of Rizal are ubiquitous.As if the Jesuits want you to know that Rizal is Ateneo and Ateneo is Rizal.To ever-remind you that their most distinguished alumnus was our national hero, they named their library as Rizal because they know as an Atenenan the library will shaped a huge part of your education. Then they invite you to visit their Rizaliana Collection to reinforced the belief that the national hero was once their student and his being creative,critical thinker, nationalistic and non-violent revolutionary ways were the result of the Jesuit education. You can not escape the rub.

Once your done with your study and working from sunrise to sunset, the images of Rizal will not leave you. Every town he has a monument and every one peso you got, he is there being the most depicted image of the Philippine currency.

In tribute to Rizal at 150. Let us revisit the poem of Rafael Zulueta y da Costa:

Not yet, Rizal, not yet
The glory hour will come
Out of the silent dreaming
From the seven-thousandfold silence
We shall emerge saying WE ARE FILIPINOS
And no longer be ashamed

Sleep not in peace
The dream is not yet fully carved
Hard the wood, but harder the blows
Yet the molave will stand
Yet the molave monument will rise
And God’s walk on brown legs

Why BIR is wrong?

Yesterday,July 6, 2011, The Philippines Bureau of Internal Revenue issued a memorandum circular no. 27-2011 saying that only mandatory contributions of SSS, GSIS and Pag-IBIG Fubd are exempted from income and witholding tax. Any contributions above the compulsory amount cannot be excluded from the gross income of taxpayers and are therefore subject to tax.

Filipino investors who are members of Pag-IBIG Fund are required to contribute as an employee a maximum of 2% of their monthly compensation. Majority of Pag-IBIG Fund members are lower class and middle class who aspire that their Pag-IBIG savings will help them save for their retirement.

With the 2% contribution, a typical member of Pag-IBIG can have around P200,000 after 20 years of savings. Since P200,000 is not enough when you retire, Pag-IBIG Fund offers a scheme called Pag-IBIG II wherein members, whose gross monthly income exceeds P5,000.00 would have another savings option that would provide them with a yield higher than those given under their existing membership with the Fund.

A minimum P500 monthly contributions can be made. The scheme will help the members to accumulate additional fund for their retirement.

This is the additional contribution the BIR want to tax.

It is understood that the state needs money for its operation but the state exists because of the people who are paying religiously their taxes. If the state can not help the people in terms of assistance in their retirement years then the state should help the people who want to save by providing incentive such as exemption of tax for the Pag-IBIG II contribution.

The BIR should tax more those who spend not those who will save.

The BIR should repeal their

latest ruling..