IBON Executive Director on govt’s heightened alert levels and COVID strategy shift

January 12, 2022

IBON Executive Director on gov’t COVID strategy shift

Yearender: Unrepentant economics in 2021

December 31, 2021

For the economic managers, managing the economy is really about making big business prosper most of all. It’s unfortunately not about doing everything to improve people’s lives or alleviate their distress.

Railroading 2022 national budget without ayuda confirms Duterte govt’s apathy

October 2, 2021

Important pandemic emergency aid programs implemented in 2020 were discontinued in 2021 and are also not in the proposed 2022 budget. The budget and social welfare departments should bat for this in the 2022 expenditure plan in Senate and bicameral deliberations

Funding war on communities, not defense of Philippine sovereignty

October 1, 2021

The House of Representatives (HOR) railroaded approval of the 2022 national budget, including bloated funds for the defense department which has been more visible in violating human rights than defending Philippine sovereignty.

Worsening joblessness and informal work can be fixed with immediate ayuda, stimulus

September 30, 2021

Latest labor force data of high unemployment and increasing informal workers should be a wake-up call for government to immediately undertake stimulus measures.

Tax the billionaires

September 29, 2021

Billionaire tax can fund ayuda and health–IBON

September 27, 2021

The Duterte government’s insistence that it lacks funds for a bigger COVID-19 response does not hold water. Substantial revenues can be raised by taxing the country’s super-rich who can well afford to contribute much more to pandemic response and other needs.

IBON Executive Director on 2022 budget preventing speedy recovery

September 25, 2021

The 2022 budget prevents speedy recovery. Doesn’t spend enough to stimulate the economy and even spends on the wrong things.

Spending like normal during the very abnormal pandemic crisis

September 16, 2021