Upper middle-income, Lower-end reality

July 6, 2026

The UMIC overhype shows how the government’s presentation of the economy gives disproportionate emphasis to a favorable statistical reclassification while giving comparatively little attention to the country’s persistent structural weaknesses.

PH is upper middle-income, Filipinos aren’t

July 5, 2026

The World Bank’s UMIC label should not be mistaken for proof that the country has achieved genuine development.

PH oil troubles: By the numbers

March 13, 2026

FEATURES

The measures the Marcos Jr admin takes to address economic shocks by the US-Israel attack on Iran have to be weighed against the magnitude of the problems at hand.

EDSA is Every Day, One Battle After Another

February 24, 2026

COMMENTARY

Forty years is a long time—long enough to reshape memory. Yet there is no doubting the enduring relevance of EDSA.

Why interest cuts won’t cut it

February 24, 2026

FEATURES

Until the Marcos Jr administration’s economic policies cut to the heart of the matter, interest rate cuts really just won’t cut it.

Isn’t corruption stupid?

January 18, 2026

FEATURES

The Philippines’ central problem isn’t simply that rules are broken. It’s that the economy produces too little of what Filipinos need.

Pork barrel 2026 budget fails development

January 5, 2026

Contrary to official claims, the budget does not mark a shift toward a genuinely “people-centered development agenda”. It remains oriented toward short-term political survival rather than long-term development outcomes.

2026 Budget: Sound and fury, signifying…

December 31, 2025

The budget that will soon be signed into law is rhetorically reformist but fundamentally politically functional, achieved at the expense of social and economic transformation.

Zaldy truth bomb: Co-rruption at the very top?

November 17, 2025

FEATURES

It’s too early to say how much of what Zaldy Co said in his explosive video statement is true. They are however at least plausible. However much, this implicates Marcos Jr in gross fiscal malpractice.