Facts & Figures

IBON Facts & Figures: “Privatization and the Water Crisis” [Excerpt]

April 20, 2019

The water crisis is far from over. Water interruptions as well as safe water accessibility and affordability issues persist. Water-related infrastructure are also being built on loans and under potentially onerous deals with other countries that subvert Philippine sovereignty. The matter has been undermining Filipino consumers and the nation’s interests. Here is the conclusion of […]

IBON Facts & Figures: “Alternative to Power Privatization” [Excerpt]

April 18, 2019

Amid power interruptions because of combined forced power outages due to maintainance and various power plants’ system problems, we share the introduction of the December 2014 IBON Facts & Figures issue titled “Alternative to Power Privatization”: “When the Philippine government privatized the electric power sector in 2001, it promised cheaper and sustainable supply of energy […]

Charter change for development? (Excerpt from IBON Facts & Figures)

May 25, 2018

The latest call for changes in the Philippine Constitution or Charter is the latest among the many attempts, in more than a decade since the 1990s,  seeking to remove the Charter’s nationalist and other progressive economic provisions. Widepsread protests and outright resistance from various sectors however deterred legislators from pursuing the changes. Those who are […]

Contractualization: A Neoliberal Policy (Excerpt from IBON Facts & Figures)

April 26, 2018

The exploitative practice of labor contracting is a continuing legacy of the country’s feudal and colonial history. It dates back from the cabo system – a labor arrangement that proliferated during Spanish colonialism. Cabos acted as labor negotiators and suppliers to companies and project or contract-based (pakyao) jobs. The system was commonly practiced in small-time […]

Php750 national minimum wage a legitimate call (IBON Facts & Figures excerpt)

April 24, 2018

The demand of progressive workers’ federations for the re-installation of a national minimum wage and pegged at Php750, along with the abolition of the regional wage boards, is an immediate, important and doable step towards making economic growth genuinely inclusive and addressing worsening inequality in the country. Based on IBON estimates, raising the average daily […]

Contractualization Prevails (IBON Facts & Figures Excerpt)

April 23, 2018

“Contractualization has violated workers’ rights to organize and collectively bargain for higher wages, economic benefits, social security, better terms of employment, and better work conditions. It has also forced workers into accepting unfair labor practices and violations of their political rights. This points to the urgency of real measures by the government to not merely […]

Charter Change: Renewed blow to sovereignty (IBON Facts & Figures excerpt)

April 22, 2018

The Philippine Congress pushed anew efforts towards amending the 1987 Philippine Constitution… This call for changes in the Charter is the latest among many attempts, seeking to remove the Charter’s nationalist and other progressive economic provisions. Widespread protests and outright resistance from various sectors however deterred legislators from pursuing the changes. Those who are opposed […]

Rio for People (IBON Facts & Figures excerpt)

April 22, 2018

The proposed “Road to Rio” is not a departure from the general framework of the same greedy system that has pushed the planet to the precipice of destruction. It still looks at nature, people and their products as capital that must be used in the most efficient manner for profit accumulation and capitalist expansion. It […]

Filipino workers’ plight continues

April 16, 2018

As International Workers’ Day approaches, many Filipino workers still endure poor quality jobs that lack benefits, are low-paying, insecure and under unfavorable working conditions. Those workers who attempt to assert their labor rights face repressive measures such as losing their jobs, violent strike dispersals, and other rights violations. The Duterte administration’s pursuit and implementation of […]