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.

Lumang Moda, Bagong Pagpapalala

Isang pag-uusap kay Rizal tungkol sa moda ng produksyon ng Pilipinas*

July 3, 2026

Mabigatan kaya si Rizal sa mga terminong ginagamit ko? Sasabihin kaya niya na masyado akong mateorya, puro slogan at jargon, at aktibistang parang polyeto magsalita? O susubukan niyang unawain ang mga sinabi ko para higit pang mapopularisa at maihatid sa mas malawak na masa?

Jobs and Pax Silica: The song remains the same

June 27, 2026

Pax Silica taunts the calamity that will come: how many Filipinos will remain barely afloat on rotting wooden pieces of part-time manufacturing work while foreign billionaires spectate on glimmering yachts?

Not Just Trees

June 9, 2026

FEATURES

Local oligarchs in partnership with foreign companies gain gargantuan profits from plundering the environment, with government protection.

Where does the fire come from?

June 5, 2026

FEATURES

An urban poor community may be razed to the ground. But the urban poor’s long history of relentless struggle almost always ignites a flame that carries on until people’s development is realized.

Policing Truth, Hiding the Crisis

June 5, 2026

FEATURES

The real threat confronting Filipinos today is not simply the spread of disinformation and fake news, but how the state is working so hard to conceal the deepening economic crisis.

Reframed curriculum: A worrisome guide for market-ready and nation-blind Filipinos

May 19, 2026

FEATURES

Education continues to be reduced to a factory floor, where classrooms function as production lines processing students into the future workforce of global supply chains.

On ratings outlook downgrades: People matter more

April 23, 2026

COMMENTARY

It is never too late to take steps to manage the oil shock in a way that is equitable, enhances growth, and is structurally transformative.