National Socioeconomic Situation

2018 prosperity by Duterte policies not for all—IBON

January 2, 2018

Admin’s avid push for market-driven measures will run over the poor majority The new year seems to usher in more difficulties for Filipinos in accessing basic goods, public utilities, and services amid government’s exclusionary policies, research group IBON said. The market-driven policies that have been prioritized by the Duterte government such as the Tax Reform […]

Four indicators that Duterte’s tax program is anti-poor

December 1, 2017

Lawmakers should rethink Duterte tax program The Senate version of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) bill remains anti-poor despite amendments. Research group IBON said this following senators’ recent approval of their version of the Duterte tax bill on third and final reading. According to the group, the Senate’s efforts to reduce the […]

Drop plan on Chinese telco, IBON urges Duterte

November 30, 2017

Unreliable services including slow internet connection amid high costs will not necessarily be solved by allowing a foreign player in the country’s telecommunication (telecom) industry. Research group IBON made the statement following Malacañang’s announcement last week that the President has invited China to field in its own telecommunication company (telco) to supposedly challenge the duopoly […]

Gov’t assures private profits over MRT commuter welfare

November 29, 2017

The government’s assurance of private profits from day one has led to the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) 3 woes that has put commuter welfare on the line, said research group IBON.  The latest series of train breakdowns and mishaps is but the tip of the iceberg and will persist under a privatized light rail system. […]

A million jobs lost in agri despite Q3 growth – IBON

November 24, 2017

Research group IBON said that the economy may have had fast growth in third quarter 2017, but this was exclusionary considering that there were significant job losses during the same period. The group said that as long as economic growth remains dependent on external and unsustainable factors, this would not translate into the stable, decent […]

Will amid woes: Dismantling large landholdings, staving off hunger

November 16, 2017

Despite decades of land reform programs, millions of peasants remain landless. Land monopoly persists and continues to expand under various agribusiness venture agreements (AVAs) and other market-oriented land reform schemes such as the stock distribution option (SDO). Farmers and farmworkers who stand their ground demanding land distribution are meanwhile met with violence or intimidation by […]

Large landholdings amid peasant landlessness

November 15, 2017

After a series of failed land reform programs, the large landholdings of the country’s big family names remain. These include plantations of coconut, sugar, banana, pineapple, palm oil, and mango orchards. Their monopoly control extends over the country’s natural resources through mining tenements, forest leases and management agreements, foreshore leases, special economic zones, and tourism […]

Four years after Yolanda: Better lives for whom?

November 2, 2017

It has been four years since super-typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) struck several provinces in the Eastern Visayas region. After the huge influx of aid, it may be hard to believe but a huge percentage of the survivors still live in temporary shelters, are underserved in terms of social services and public utilities, and are either unemployed […]

On Consumer Welfare Month: 20 years of MWSS privatization, 20 years of violating the people’s right to water

October 3, 2017

​By Water for the People Network- The 20th anniversary of the privatization of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) in August was considered a milestone by privatization proponents. The MWSS has often been used to showcase the supposed benefits of turning over water supply services to private corporations. But the start of government-declared Consumer Welfare Month […]