On Trump tariff hikes: PH subservience is not strategy

July 10, 2025

Subservience isn’t strategy—sovereignty is. A government that charts an independent economic path for the Philippines is long overdue.

Great Cabinet Revamp is a dud

May 25, 2025

There’s no doubt that a revamp of government, governance and the Cabinet is overdue. But the Cabinet revamp can’t just be recycling combined with superficially new names or faces. It should mean new ideas for solving old problems and the political will to act on them.

Election post-mortem: Any hope for the economy?

May 19, 2025

The conversation isn’t about what kind of country we want to build and how, but simply who gets to rule it – leaving the inequitable status quo untouched.

Supporting democracy amid undemocratic PH elections

May 12, 2025

The vote is to show that we believe in something better.

America First, Philippines Last: The art of the bad deal

April 29, 2025

COMMENTARY

It is baffling how the Philippine government can so badly misread the US’s unambiguous “America First” statements and actions as signaling an interest in Philippine development.

Php20 rice, unli lies

April 27, 2025

COMMENTARY

The president is claiming to do something for hungry Filipinos that he promised long ago but hasn’t really done anything about since he took office.

Trump’s hyper-neoliberalism

April 21, 2025

FEATURES

While the Trump administration represents a rupture from neoliberal globalization, its protectionist stance reflects a deeper continuity. Trump is not repudiating neoliberalism but rather accelerating and concentrating it.

Trump 2.0: The Emperor’s New Clothes

April 14, 2025

The US is undergoing a radical transition from decades of accustomed grand strategies – one that requires a political figure disruptive enough to force that change.

World Bank wants to tax Filipinos, but not the rich

April 8, 2025

Tax reforms should align with broader developmental goals like reducing inequality, strengthening public services, and promoting inclusive growth rather than narrowly focusing on revenue maximization. The government should object to World Bank conditionalities as a matter of principle.