economic recovery

Filipinos didn’t feel growth because of ayuda cuts and stingy wage hikes – IBON

January 27, 2023

Millions of ordinary Filipinos did not benefit from supposedly rapid 2022 growth because the government tightened the purse strings on urgent cash assistance and only gave a negligible wage hike last year.

Rapid 2022 growth just a flash in the pan, poverty even increased — IBON

January 27, 2023

Relatively rapid growth in 2022 is only a rebound after the protracted pandemic lockdowns and there will be a steep slowdown this year.

Bongbong will be tested on the economy in 2023

January 21, 2023

The binding constraint to steadier progress and development is the outdated faith in market forces. The blindness to the state’s responsibility to intervene will mean worse times in 2023. It will also reopen lockdown wounds that were hidden by last year’s rebound but haven’t really healed yet.

IBON Executive Director on Marcos Jr’s speech to the 77th UN General Assembly

September 22, 2022

The gall to talk about ‘historical injustice’ and ‘inequalities and inequities’ is however exceptional

With among the highest joblessness and inflation in Southeast Asia, PH needs bold econ reforms–IBON

July 20, 2022

The Philippines has among the highest unemployment and inflation rates in the region, underscoring the country’s worsening conditions and the urgent need for radical economic measures.

Is it time to move on?
The resiliency myth

June 29, 2022

The Philippines recently ranked as one of the five worst places to be as the ripples of COVID-19 continue. This is contrary to the outgoing Duterte administration’s repeatedly built narrative – that it did well on the pandemic and is leaving behind an economy that is on a quick rebound.

1.3M jobs lost: Fall in number of employed bursts full recovery hype bubble

June 11, 2022

The incoming finance secretary claims that the economy is on its way to full recovery, but the over one million drop in employed persons in April 2022 proves otherwise.

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.

Jobless growth and worst in ASEAN: IBON on PH economic performance in 2021

January 27, 2022

The economic managers are overstating their performance and understating the economy’s problems. This isn’t a good starting point for finding solutions.