WHAT AILS our economy is what we always call inflation.

Economists have a lengthy definition of it. But, we take a simple one which, as a dictionary says, is a situation where the prices are high and the value of money has gone down.

If what we could buy with our one peso last year can buy now only ninety centavos, then we have a ten percent inflation.

Inflation hits the poor and also especially the wage earners. But inflation is not all bad. What is bad is what we call a run away inflation or inflation beyond control.

When a run away inflation hit Argentina some years ago, the joke in Buenos Aires bars was “Hurry up with your drink. The price in the next hour might be different already.”

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A mild inflation is the engine growth of the economy. A little increase in the price encourages people to go into business because it means profit.

A big increase is bad because when people have no money to buy because of high prices, this will reduce consumption and therefore, adversely affect sales.

Since last year, I saw a big number of new gasoline stations sprouting. It was quite abnormal. I told myself, gasoline prices would surely go much higher.

It did. But I did not expect it to go this high. It’s a massacre! Except basic food commodities which people are forced to buy, the other commodities, not basic, will suffer in sales.

This needs redirection.

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It was quite an impressive celebration of Mayor Bing Leonardia’s 56th birthday with the presence of the 46-man delegation from Keelung, Taiwan, led by Keelung Mayor Tong-Rong Chang and Deputy Mayor Shui Yuan Ko.

Their whole city council came along.

Keelung is a sister city of Bacolod. The sisterhood was arranged by our friend, businessman Andres Valencia during the first term of Bing in 1995.

Bacolod has many sister cities but the mayor said, Keelung is the most generous of them all. In return, the city also gave them a very warm welcome. Credit this to Andres Valencia.

Starting now, I will call Andres Valencia, Mr. Ambassador. He is the best ambassador Keelung can have.

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Who can decide whether a city is a business friendly city? There must only be one entity, the Asian Institute of Management.

Other entities must not be counted. AIM ranked Bacolod No. 1 in 2005. This time, it dropped to No. 15.

Well, you have to give it to the other cities. They are striving hard too. What happened? The problem, as it always has, lies with the documentation. The city neglected it this time, confident it could retain the ranking.

But others are working, too. This time, with the Mayor’s order for City Administrator Roger Balo do the documentation, expect some results.

Roger Balo is a good administrator.

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I got a letter from my Cano friend, Robert Leonard Strause that he has been home, that’s Bacolod, already months ago.

He said he had to have an operation and is recuperating that, like a car, he is only operating on two cylinders.

Two or four or eight cylinders don’t matter as long as they perform well.

I got this text from a British friend Robert Harland, “As I’m now a mature student at La Salle’s institute for culinary arts, the belly is definitely increasing and you, and Dave, Nelly, Neil, Hazel, et al are invited.”

This was a reaction on Dave Duckett’s saying Robert has a belly twice as his. I laughed and texted Robert congratulating him for having a good British humor.

He added, dinner to try his training “when Dave comes back from blighty…and tell you what, all traditional British food…”

Another friend from blighty, a.k.a. England, the beautiful Hazel Stuart, sided with Robert. She texted me, “Fancy reading it in print! I know it’s a LARGE subject but if you ever start on my hips it could mean the end of a beautiful friendship.”

OK Hazel but when that dinner comes, be sure to be there and we will discuss about bellies and blighty. I want to learn more about blighty, a term referring to England used by returning soldiers in World War I but originated by soldiers coming home from India where in Urdu language “foreign land” is called “Bilayati” and they shortened it to “blighty.”

And another text from Neil, also from blighty, “Do you know that Barry, a.k.a. Baz, Swain is an acknowledged expert on famous English poet, John Betjeman?” I hope Barry those in blighty are reading this.

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