Commentary

Now is the worst time to change the Constitution

March 13, 2024

Economic Cha-cha is just a trojan horse to get a charter change process going. The real intent is to change the political provisions to keep the Marcos-Romualdez clan in power.

The excuses they give: Kung ayaw ng wage hike, maraming dahilan

February 20, 2024

Opponents of a minimum wage hike say it will be “catastrophic” – cause inflation, lead to layoffs, and bankrupt firms. They say it will only help a few and only for a little while. None of these arguments holds water.

The spectacular errors of economic cha-cha proponents

February 4, 2024

COMMENTARY

It has become Cha-cha etiquette to always sugarcoat political changes with promises of a bright economic future once the charter’s economic provisions are fixed.

DOTr doesn’t want to admit that jeepney fare hikes are coming

January 7, 2024

COMMENTARY

There is much to improve in making public mass transport safer, cleaner and more convenient but ‘modernization’ by making transport profitable for private capital is the wrong direction.

Agriculture deserves a competent leader

July 1, 2023

The Marcos Jr administration has not been looking at the stark reality of long-term agricultural decline. This chronic crisis deserves a full-time, competent and diligent leader.

BBM’s US trip: It’s all about US

May 9, 2023

The current Marcos Jr administration will have US support despite its deeply corrupt, dynastic and rights-violating character. Or at least as long as the US keeps getting what it wants, and the Philippines doesn’t ask for anything that the US doesn’t want to give — like real freedom and development, or sovereignty and independence.

The right size for development?

March 9, 2023

The Marcos Jr administration’s rightsizing program goes in the direction of further weakening the government just when it is so needed to become bigger and better to transform the economy to serve the public interest.

“Wage hikes are harmful”: Kung ayaw maraming dahilan

March 6, 2023

It’s perplexing for the economic team to speak about workers and their wages as if they are a burden to the economy. It’s people who most of all create value in the economy and for whom the economy is for.

Bongbong will be tested on the economy in 2023

January 21, 2023

The binding constraint to steadier progress and development is the outdated faith in market forces. The blindness to the state’s responsibility to intervene will mean worse times in 2023. It will also reopen lockdown wounds that were hidden by last year’s rebound but haven’t really healed yet.