The scourge of price hikes

April 16, 2022

Prices keep rising, cash subsidies are limited, and real wages keep falling. The situation will not get better if the government does not acknowledge that the rampant jobs crisis and worsening poverty are huge problems that require big solutions.

10 things about the economy that the Duterte administration should admit

April 4, 2022

At its economic briefing, the Duterte government will likely hype growth, claim successful COVID response and play up so-called reforms. All this seeks to distract from how social and economic development has been set back by the administration even before the pandemic.

IBON Executive Director on economic managers’ proposals to alleviate Ukraine conflict impact

March 9, 2022

The Economic Development Cluster (EDC) proposes to cope with the Ukraine conflict by shifting to Alert Level 1, just Php6.1 billion in fuel subsidies, increasing buffer stocks of oil products, lowering tariffs on food and coal imports, promoting energy conservation, and attracting investments.

The Family Living Wage

March 4, 2022

Workers’ wages keep falling amid inflation and unchanging minimum wage. NCR minimum wage is now just half of the family living wage.

Philippine economy suffered under Marcos

February 26, 2022

The decade 1975-1986 was actually a time of intense social crisis and economic difficulty for most Filipinos.

Is the 3% inflation a good thing?

February 5, 2022

Inflation slowed to 3% in January 2022 and NEDA claims this is from the economy reopening and increased supply. This may not be the whole story.

Suspending TRAIN oil taxes will lower oil prices and ease inflation—IBON

October 23, 2021

Suspending oil excise taxes, can ease the burden of rising prices on ordinary Filipinos, and revenue losses can be compensated by suspending corporate tax cuts. These can be the start of a more progressive tax system and a prelude to better regulation and control over the country’s oil industry.

Ayuda will ease burden of rising prices

October 12, 2021

The ill logic of rice liberalization

June 25, 2021

The economic managers have been using runaway inflation to justify liberalizing rice importation. But government’s obsession with imports liberalization has only worsened the jobs crisis, loss of livelihoods, and farmers’ bankruptcy.