Why spend more on military and police than small businesses and farmers?

September 16, 2021

Rediscovering our traditional and indigenous knowledge in agriculture

September 15, 2021

To rediscover is such an apt word for our traditional and indigenous knowledge in agriculture – it is there, but we have gone through episodes of collective memory loss. Such loss can be directly traced to the rise of modern capitalism.

No more COVID-19 ayuda, stingy increases in social assistance

September 12, 2021

How much ayuda is in the proposed 2022 budget? There’s just a Php2.7 billion increase in emergency assistance programs, and only an additional Php16.1 billion for other social assistance programs. In contrast, the infrastructure budget increases by Php106.7 billion.

Duterte administration’s 2022 budget priorities

September 5, 2021

It’s business-as-usual for the Duterte administration in its proposed 2022 budget. It doesn’t respond to the pandemic and economic crisis that has destroyed livelihoods, lowered incomes, and worsened poverty.

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.

Govt’s 7-9% growth in 2022 is just a fantasy – IBON

August 26, 2021

The Development Budget Coordination Committee has had a poor record of projecting economic growth in the last five years with their estimates always off the mark. Worse, their narrow-minded fiscal conservatism is the biggest factor preventing more rapid recovery.

Business-as-usual 2022 budget unresponsive to pandemic – IBON

August 26, 2021

The proposed 2022 national budget is perplexingly business-as-usual with the same priorities as before the pandemic. There is still disproportionate attention to infrastructure, the military and police, and debt service with only marginal changes to the health and social protection budgets. This latest spending plan should not just be scrutinized but also retailored to give due attention to urgent medical and economic responses.

2022 budget stalls recovery, worsens inequality

August 23, 2021

Government’s proposed 2022 national budget is the second budget in a row that fails to respond to the pandemic. The Duterte administration is not spending enough on economic stimulus, health, ayuda, and small businesses which are the most important things to recover quickly and stop worsening deprivation. The economic managers’ misguided fiscal conservatism is counterproductive and needs urgent correction.

Ayuda urgently needed to mitigate worsening poverty

August 21, 2021

The government has just announced the transition from ECQ to modified ECQ so the economy can supposedly recover. But the Duterte administration’s over-reliance on destructive lockdowns without effective and substantial health and economic response, like much-needed ayuda, is what’s really worsening the crisis and pushing more Filipinos into poverty.