News
Meat and fish tariffs, a temporary fix
August 7, 2018
Ultimately, agricultural imports could worsen the situation by displacing local producers and increasing our import bill.
Rice tariffication to impoverish Filipino farmers more, Congress warned
August 4, 2018
Research group IBON raised concern over the current move by the House of Representatives (HOR) to lift the quantitative restrictions (QR) on rice imports and instead apply a 35% tariff on unlimited rice importation. This will practically decrease farmgate prices, said IBON, but not necessarily lower retail rice prices as government claims. Rice prices have […]
Group refutes government’s defense of TRAIN
July 23, 2018
In a consumer forum held in anticipation of the third State of the Nation Address, research group IBON debunked the Duterte administration’s avid defense of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law. The group said that contrary to government’s pronouncements, the tax program is not beneficial to the poor majority of Filipinos and […]
Wage hikes need not cause higher prices — IBON
July 20, 2018
Research group IBON said that substantially raising the minimum wage of Filipino workers need not lead to price hikes, contrary to the recent claims of National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Ernesto Pernia. IBON said that wage hikes should be taken from profits instead of being considered a cost of production passed on to […]
Debt-driven growth an increasing burden–IBON
July 20, 2018
Nearing the third State of the Nation address, research group IBON said that debt-driven growth under the Duterte administration is not resulting in substantial improvements in the Philippine economy. According to the group, while ballooning debt accelerated government spending and pushed the 6.8% economic growth during the past year, the agriculture and industry sectors, which […]
TRAIN-driven rising cost of living makes wage hike urgent
July 9, 2018
Research group IBON said that tax-driven inflation is making the meager wages of poor Filipinos fall even further behind the rising cost of living. The group said this makes it even more urgent for the government to immediately raise wages even as it revisits the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law behind the […]
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 […]
