Philippine economy
Economic rights violations also worsen under Duterte admin
December 10, 2017
IBON Features – Contempt for human rights is fast becoming a Duterte administration trademark. Over 10,000 people, mostly poor, have reportedly been executed in its war against drugs. Extrajudicial killings, harassment and intimidation, illegal arrests and forced evacuation of communities have continued and recently started escalating. The victims include many opposing the government’s anti-people policies. Authoritarianism […]
Four indicators that Duterte’s tax program is anti-poor
December 1, 2017
Lawmakers should rethink Duterte tax program The Senate version of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) bill remains anti-poor despite amendments. Research group IBON said this following senators’ recent approval of their version of the Duterte tax bill on third and final reading. According to the group, the Senate’s efforts to reduce the […]
A million jobs lost in agri despite Q3 growth – IBON
November 24, 2017
Research group IBON said that the economy may have had fast growth in third quarter 2017, but this was exclusionary considering that there were significant job losses during the same period. The group said that as long as economic growth remains dependent on external and unsustainable factors, this would not translate into the stable, decent […]
ASEAN way: Big China-funded water, energy infra to displace more communities
November 20, 2017
Can be more catastrophic than MRT Business projects oblivious to human communities are a trademark of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and other globalization platforms, advocacy groups said Monday. Shortly after the conclusion of the 31st ASEAN Summit, indigenous peoples, and water and energy rights advocates slammed China-funded water and energy projects […]
Will amid woes: Dismantling large landholdings, staving off hunger
November 16, 2017
Despite decades of land reform programs, millions of peasants remain landless. Land monopoly persists and continues to expand under various agribusiness venture agreements (AVAs) and other market-oriented land reform schemes such as the stock distribution option (SDO). Farmers and farmworkers who stand their ground demanding land distribution are meanwhile met with violence or intimidation by […]
US MCC to hurt PH economy more—IBON
November 15, 2017
The Philippines will be more incapable of building and protecting its own industries and economy under another Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) grant from the United States. Research group IBON said this in light of the recent agreement between US president Donald Trump and Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte to strengthen socio-economic ties in their Association of […]
Rising US, China protectionism: Philippines still on losing end
November 14, 2017
By Audrey De Jesus Free trade agreements (FTAs) are a major agenda item for countries attending the 31st Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit. whether at the meeting proper or the sidelines. Contrary to the projection that FTAs promote partnerships for development, however, these FTAs are becoming more and more one-sided. As the world […]
Five ASEAN features that show “One Community” is exclusionary
November 12, 2017
By Casey Salamanca On its 50th year, and under Philippine chairmanship, the Association of South East Asian Nations or ASEAN is being hyped to have brought development to its member countries. Themed “Partnering for Change, Engaging the World” for 2017, the convergence of ASEAN’s ten-member countries and its dialogue partners is anticipated to bolster the regional […]
Yolanda rehab tragedy: Bound for a repeat?
November 9, 2017
Four years after Typhoon Yolanda struck the Visayas region, reconstruction and rehabilitation is still not being felt by many of those in disaster-affected communities. This is because the Philippine government’s approach to recovery and rehabilitation and its measurement of success has been based on an erroneous neoliberal framework that prioritizes big business interests over the […]
