Philippine economy

Lower labor budget despite new agency

September 6, 2022

Despite a slowing economy that urgently needs stimulus for recovery, the proposed 2023 national budget gets the least increase in 20 years and mirrors the mispriorities of the Marcos Jr administration. The President and Vice President’s offices for instance get hefty increases as do infrastructure, debt servicing and defense. But crucial service-oriented areas such as […]

With among the highest joblessness and inflation in Southeast Asia, PH needs bold econ reforms–IBON

July 20, 2022

The Philippines has among the highest unemployment and inflation rates in the region, underscoring the country’s worsening conditions and the urgent need for radical economic measures.

Persisting jobs crisis belies gov’t claims of growth momentum

July 8, 2022

The increase in May 2022 unemployment and informal work shows that the jobs crisis persists despite government’s opening up of the economy and hype of economic growth.

Marcos should admit 3-year high inflation to propose real solutions — IBON

July 6, 2022

Inflation is at its highest in three years, but instead of offering a real solution to soaring prices, the newly-installed Marcos administration is downplaying the severity of this and saying it is beyond government control.

New admin needs new policies to fix old problems — IBON

June 30, 2022

As the next president is inaugurated and the new administration is ushered in, new policies are desperately needed to fix old economic problems that worsened under the Duterte administration.

Is it time to move on?
The resiliency myth

June 29, 2022

The Philippines recently ranked as one of the five worst places to be as the ripples of COVID-19 continue. This is contrary to the outgoing Duterte administration’s repeatedly built narrative – that it did well on the pandemic and is leaving behind an economy that is on a quick rebound.

No Mavericks Among Economic Top Guns

June 15, 2022

The next administration’s economic agenda will be fully presented at the state of the nation address in July. There are hardly any specifics yet. Still, the tidbits already emerging can be interpreted against the incoming economic team members’ individual track record and especially in the context of the long arc of neoliberal thinking that has defined Philippine policymaking over the last half century.