The writing of Mig Molina
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What does the world need from the Philippines? Right now, nothing it can't get somewhere else. China refines 91% of the world's rare earths. Taiwan makes over 90% of its most advanced chips. We import 98% of our garlic and ship our nickel out as raw ore. What could the Philippines own that the world can't do without? Filipiñana (2026) No Spoiler Review: A Beautiful Film That Doesn't Need a Complicated Plot Rafael Manuel's first feature is slow, weird at first, and beautifully shot, and it justifies its simple premise.
Leadership On leading people, making decisions, and the work of running things.
See all → The Position Is Not the Person I ran into a former leader in a mall. Someone from a company I used to work with. I made sure I said hi. I went out of my way, I made sure he saw me, I did the whole thing. Then I walked away and felt the ick. Communication Can Outrun Intelligence One of the most valuable skills in business, and the same skill can march a company off a cliff. Both are true. Develop Your People Anyway The CFO's question is real. So is the CEO's answer. Twenty years on both sides of the training budget taught me which fear to respect. I Closed the Book Too Early A few months ago I wrote LeBron off. Now the entire NBA is frozen, waiting on one 41-year-old to decide where he plays. That is what owning the narrative looks like, and why relevance is the only real leverage. You Don't Have to Be an Asshole to Be a Good Leader We looked at the cruel ones who won and decided the cruelty was the reason. It never was. See all 19 →
#BetterPH Civic duty, the Philippine state, and the Filipino psyche — notes toward a better PH.
See all → What does the world need from the Philippines? Right now, nothing it can't get somewhere else. China refines 91% of the world's rare earths. Taiwan makes over 90% of its most advanced chips. We import 98% of our garlic and ship our nickel out as raw ore. What could the Philippines own that the world can't do without? 16,563 Ballots Were Shaded Before Anyone Voted Nobody had to break a rule to reach the pre-shaded ballots in Maluso. The rule put them there. The Omnibus Election Code was written two months before EDSA, and Comelec's 963-page fix is still waiting. ₱457 Million in Cash, and Nobody Asked The bank filed the report. The AMLC said it had too many to read. Part 4 of 4 on anti-corruption with teeth. If you're above 40, this is the 2nd Iran Oil Crisis in Your Lifetime. In 1980, a crisis in Iran pushed oil to $149 a barrel in today's dollars. Saudi Arabia had warned that prices that high would push the world to find something else, and it did. In 2026 it is Iran again, and this time the something else is already in our driveways. ₱17.99 Billion, and We Can't See How It Counts The counting machine reads marks and adds them up. Your cashier's terminal is harder to build. So why is the code that counts our votes still kept in a reading room in Makati? See all 32 →
Pax Silica: Much Ado About Nothing Pax Silica has no confirmed investor and no tenant, yet everyone is fighting over it. A lesson in owning the narrative, and why a semblance of a plan is not a plan. Diversity Marketing Is Working Gap's KATSEYE ad moved denim sales while the louder campaign next door moved a stock price. Three years of Gap campaigns say the same thing about reading the room. Samsung's Petty Genius They named their new foldables to box in Apple before Apple even ships. I'm a Samsung guy, and I'm here for it. Norwegian Air Bet British Airways on the World Cup. The Real Story Is Who Said Yes Most trend-jacking is a miss. The ones that land come down to whether someone in the room was willing to approve the risk, and whether the math actually works. Builders and Buyers Acquisitions grow your portfolio. Building grows your brand. They’re not the same thing. See all 26 →
You Are Not Your Worst Day One bad interview, one blown presentation, one terrible day. None of them are the verdict on you they feel like. There's actual math behind why. Go Where the Ceiling Is Higher What De'Aaron Fox's move to San Antonio taught me about knowing your worth and finding the right fit. A Few Years Out Change is on the horizon On Dignity in Work Why meaning, purpose, and employee engagement matter more than job titles — a leadership perspective Notes From the Future: Letters to My Earlier Self About Work, Career, and Becoming A 20+ year career reflected through six letters — on resilience, leadership, imposter syndrome, and finding your place See all 7 →
How Do You Change Someone's Mind? Tell Them You Heard Them First If you've been following the impeachment trial, you've heard it a hundred times. Someone raises a point, and Presiding Officer Chiz Escudero answers, "Duly noted." I bought a Windows laptop last year. If I were buying now, my Android phone would talk me into a Googlebook. Google's premium laptop is no longer a Chromebook. It's an Android laptop built around the phone you already own, and ten features would have made me buy one. Alex Eala Doesn't Owe Us Anything But she showed up anyway. Culinary Class Wars: Philippines — Dark Horses and Predictions Who goes further than anyone expects, who cracks, and my actual call on how this ends. Part 3 of 3. More Stressed Than Singapore The Philippines just topped Southeast Asia in workplace stress, ahead of a country where workers earn several times what we do. A lot of that is our own doing. Some of it we keep calling dedication. See all 21 →
In the Grey Personal essays on life, written like an open journal.
See all → Filipiñana (2026) No Spoiler Review: A Beautiful Film That Doesn't Need a Complicated Plot Rafael Manuel's first feature is slow, weird at first, and beautifully shot, and it justifies its simple premise. Almost Famous No Spoiler Review: On a Rewatch in My 40s, This Could Be Cameron Crowe's Best Film Rewatched in my 40s, Almost Famous is a love letter to rock and roll and a mirror held up to it at the same time, and it could be Cameron Crowe's best film. Primetime (2026) No Spoiler Review: A Solid Robert Pattinson Performance Stuck in a So-So Story Robert Pattinson gives us the weirdness we love as his own version of Chris Hansen, but a simple plot dragged out keeps Primetime at okay. Love of Your Life (2026) No Spoiler Review: A Nice Little Drama About Grief and Moving On (Not a Romantic Story) The trailer sells a romance, but Love of Your Life is a quiet drama about grief and moving on, with Margaret Qualley at her usual best and a soundtrack worth noticing. Quezon (2025) No Spoiler Review: Jerrold Tarog Made a World-Class Film That Leans on Exposition Like a Crutch Jerrold Tarog's Quezon is gorgeous and brilliantly acted, with Jericho Rosales at his best, but it keeps stopping to teach a history lesson when it should just tell the story. See all 54 →
Malamig Brew Cold brew reviews and tasting notes under Malamig Brew — one bean at a time.
See all → Malamig Brew Episode 9: Bo's Coffee Sagada Arabica Cold Brew Review Philippines A cocoa-forward Cordillera Arabica that earns the daily driver label Malamig Brew Bonus: Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Cold Brew Review Philippines — Or Was It an Iced Americano? How to tell cold brew from iced Americano — and why it matters for what ends up in your cup Malamig Brew Episode 7: First Tide Blend Cold Brew Review — Allo Coffee Roasters Philippines A local roaster's bold, fermented-fruit blend that tastes like wine transformed into coffee Malamig Brew Episode 8: Good Cup Coffee Daily Driver Blend Cold Brew Review — Cebu Philippines Why cold brew makes a chocolate-forward blend taste surprisingly fruity — and what that reveals about extraction Malamig Brew Bonus: Starbucks Cold Brew Review Philippines — and What Intentional Drinking Actually Means A rushed morning in Cebu, a Don Papa Rum conversation, and why slowing down changes everything See all 12 →
Connect Reach out, follow the work, or browse the old essays.
swipe → Email Say Hello Work, questions, or just to say hi. hello@migmol.com Send a note → LinkedIn Let's Connect Brand, leadership, and AI, in the professional feed. Connect with me → The Archive The migmol.com Archive The original migmol.com blog, 2018 to 2021. Brand teardowns, eCommerce analysis, and early writing on AI and data. Browse 25 posts →