National budget for 2024: A Budget Badly Made (Part 3)

August 25, 2023

FEATURES

The budget is only one of the wide range of policy measures the government has to spur growth, develop the economy, and improve the conditions of the people. The attention the public gives is well-deserved because the budget can do so much so quickly to achieve these.

National budget for 2024: A Budget Badly Made (Part 2)

August 25, 2023

FEATURES

Band-aids are not necessarily a bad thing. Social spending can be wielded to improve people’s conditions – which is important in itself even if not prioritized by the administration. But it can also be used to increase overall aggregate demand and stimulate the economy – which presumably even a narrow, growth-fixated mindset would appreciate.

National budget for 2024: A Budget Badly Made

August 25, 2023

FEATURES

Contrary to incredible “pro-poor” claims, the proposed 2024 national budget’s numbers tell a much different story about the administration’s priorities.

Marcos Jr administration’s 2024 budget priorities

August 18, 2023

The government’s budget has for years been biased for big-business infra, debt-servicing and military, while allocations for social services, agriculture and labor have been lacking. The Marcos Jr administration’s 2023 budget was no different – how about the proposed 2024 budget?

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.