The Thais must be very intelligent

The latest foreign direct investment (FDI) figures from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) should be enough to make President Benigno Aquino 3rd and his economic managers depressed if they really have a grasp on how the country’s economy is working or not working.

Based on the BSP data, the Philippines attracted $3.9 billion in FDIs in 2013, which is 20 percent higher than the $3.2 billion of the previous year. The Aquino administration cannot crow about that accomplishment because Vietnam attracted $13.1 billion in FDI in the first 10 months of last year, while Thailand expects to post as much as $33 billion in foreign investments for 2013. Thailand’s 2013 FDI projection should be the source of envy and even shame for the Aquino administration, because that means that despite the political turmoil in Bangkok since October 2013, Thailand is still capable of attracting almost 10 times more FDIs than the Philippines last year.