On the Marcos Jr admin’s “ayuda”

March 2, 2023

IBON: Ayuda budgets slashed amid false claims of recovery

August 27, 2022

The Marcos Jr administration’s 2023 proposed national budget defunds social protection even if millions still suffer the aftershocks of the government’s harsh pandemic lockdowns and as economic rebound fades.

Gov’t, not pandemic, caused record deficits and debt – IBON

March 5, 2022

Had the Php5.3 trillion gross borrowings in 2020 and 2021 been spent on ayuda and producer subsidies, and less on infrastructure and debt servicing, economic rebound would have been bigger, revenues would have recovered faster, and there would have been less need for borrowing.

Debt benefits

January 22, 2022

The national government deficit and debt are historically large amounts and so easy to raise alarms about. But if current borrowing is used productively, this debt burden is actually not necessarily unmanageable.

Yearstarter: Seeking better normal in 2022

January 14, 2022

The administration that is exiting and the new one entering can take a more rational and humane approach to recovering and reforming the economy.

Big budget for infra agencies, low disbursement under Duterte

October 3, 2021

The Duterte administration budgets so much for infrastructure but isn’t even able to spend all of it. The proposed 2022 infrastructure budget is even bigger — shouldn’t more of the allocation be used for health, ayuda and small business support instead?

Spending like normal during the very abnormal pandemic crisis

September 16, 2021

Inessential infra isn’t more important than health, ayuda

September 16, 2021

Still only token ayuda in 2022 budget – IBON

August 30, 2021

The Duterte administration’s proposed 2022 budget once again refuses to give the ayuda that millions of Filipinos need to alleviate the economic distress from lockdown-induced disruptions to livelihoods. COVID-19-related emergency assistance programs have been discontinued. There is some additional funding for existing social welfare programs but this falls far short of huge needs since the pandemic.