News
Govt’s TRAIN to blame for highest inflation in nearly 10 years — IBON
July 5, 2018
Research group IBON said that the government’s insistence on higher taxes especially on the poor is among the factors driving inflation rates to their highest in nearly a decade. The group said that runaway inflation is due to the peso depreciation and rising global oil prices combined with the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion […]
Jobs crisis intensifying under Duterte – IBON
June 12, 2018
Over 700,000 jobs lost in agriculture and fisheries Research group IBON said that despite recently hyped growth of 6.8% in first quarter 2018 the country’s jobs situation continues to worsen under the Duterte administration. The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported that the employment rate grew slightly to 94.5% in April 2018, while the unemployment […]
Time for govt to come up with realistic poverty threshold – IBON
June 8, 2018
Research group IBON said that it is about time for government to update its poverty threshold to reflect a more realistic poverty reduction target. This is in light of National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Ernesto Pernia’s recent statement that Php42,000 a month is “a decent income at least to live above the poverty […]
TRAIN worsens burden of inflation on poor – IBON
June 7, 2018
Almost 18 million Filipino families are already hard-pressed to survive on incomes below the family living wage of Php30,000 per month estimated by IBON Research group IBON said that higher prices as reflected in the accelerating May 2018 inflation bears heavily on the poor, and that the recently passed Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion […]
Stop over-relying on foreign investments, government told
June 4, 2018
Soon after the enactment of the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act, research group IBON said that the Duterte government should not depend on foreign investments for economic progress and job generation. For expediency, the Ease of Doing Business Act or Republic Act (RA) 11032 simplifies the application process for the […]
Php750 minimum wage possible, non-inflationary and good for the economy–IBON
June 3, 2018
Contrary to government and big employers’ claims, research group IBON said that raising minimum wages nationwide to Php750 is doable, need not spike prices further, and will benefit millions of Filipino workers and the economy. The group cited the following reasons: Raising minimum wages nationwide to Php750 is doable if owners of establishments allow a […]
Wage hike urgent, and should be substantial, gov’t told
May 31, 2018
Research group IBON said that the government’s recently announced plan to respond to labor’s clamor for an increase in the minimum wage is welcome. IBON underscored that this move is urgent amid rising prices, and added that the hike should be meaningful enough to keep up with accelerating inflation and worsening poverty, said the group. […]
One-fourth of increase: TRAIN aggravates oil price hikes–IBON
May 24, 2018
Government is wrong in downplaying the contribution of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law on recent big-time oil price hikes, research group IBON said. The price of fuel products combined with the TRAIN increased since year-end 2017 to Php10.20 per liter for diesel, Php11.41 for kerosene, and Php15.14 for gasoline this week. […]
Poor-quality work increased amid economic growth–IBON
May 16, 2018
First quarter economic growth this year did not translate to better jobs for Filipinos, research group IBON said. This means that despite government claims that the groundwork for reforms has been laid, growth has remained essentially exclusionary, generating jobs that are insecure and low-paying, said the group. Socio-Economic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia recently announced the […]
