The 2021 Yearstarter Birdtalk

January 16, 2021

There’s certainly much we can do to make sure that 2021 is better.

Economic cha-cha is no vaccine for recovery or development

January 13, 2021

The economy’s development lies in using the protections in the Constitution to gain from foreign investment, not in taking away the protections and giving self-interested foreign investment free rein over the domestic economy.

Charter change compromises Philippine economy

January 12, 2021

Pursuing economic Cha-cha in the middle of a public health crisis and unprecedented economic decline smacks of putting vested interests first over squarely addressing the urgent need to create and save jobs, incomes and small businesses.

Cash subsidies for poorest households urgent as inflation reaches 21-month high

January 5, 2021

In the face of soaring prices, joblessness and meager incomes, emergency cash subsidies for the poorest Filipinos and support for small businesses need to be increased substantially. Distribute Bayanihan 2 cash assistance immediately, and a new cash subsidy program to cover several millions of vulnerable citizens should be drawn up.

2020 Yearender: Economic lessons from Jose Rizal

December 30, 2020

The worst economic collapse in Philippine history and in Southeast Asia is mainly due to the government’s stumbling pandemic response and lackluster economic measures in 2020. If, again, there is more bluster than action in 2021 then real recovery will be much farther away than it should be.

Dire state of PH economic, social, and cultural rights

December 27, 2020

The pre-pandemic year saw the nation’s pre-existing social and economic woes worsening. Pursuing the people’s economic, social, cultural, civil and political rights is urgent and vital in getting out of the COVID crisis and moving towards real recovery.

Capitalism Upon COVID-19

December 25, 2020

Analysis | The planet’s richest 30 billionaires now own more than the poorest four billion people or over half of the world’s population combined. The world economy is ending 2020 on a bleak note for billions of the working people everywhere.

Surviving surgery in the middle of COVID-19

December 13, 2020

BIRD FEED | COVID-19 has overloaded the country’s healthcare system in a major way. But the government has been touting that the country’s active COVID cases are going down and that the healthcare system is unloading. But what was it like having a family member who needed minor life-changing surgery amid this pandemic?

Duterte gov’t fails to meet its human rights obligations amid the pandemic

December 10, 2020

STATEMENT

The country’s poorest and most marginalized are being left behind by the COVID-19 response of the Duterte administration. On the other hand, wealthy creditors are protected and large corporations including foreign investors are getting their profits boosted.