neoliberalism

Beware of onerous China ODA – IBON

November 19, 2018

In its eagerness to raise billions of pesos in funds for its hyped infrastructure program, the Duterte administration is brokering questionable deals with China that could threaten Philippine sovereignty. Research group IBON raised the warning in anticipation of Chinese president Xi Jinping’s upcoming visit to the Philippines. IBON said that a number of agreements between […]

After five years: Build, Build, Build a new adversary of Yolanda survivors

November 8, 2018

by Jolo Lim IBON Features – Typhoon Yolanda was a disaster of epic proportions. It became an even bigger tragedy because of government neglect and corporate opportunism.  Five years after the super-typhoon, a new adversary is rising for typhoon survivors that are yet to fully recover. The Duterte administration’s Build, Build, Build program has been […]

Be bold enough to implement a meaningful wage hike, gov’t told

November 7, 2018

The new National Capital Region (NCR) minimum wage is still way below the amount that a family needs to cope with continuously rising prices, research group IBON said. The paltry increase reflects government’s refusal to institute a meaningful wage hike despite its urgency and doability. Government should instead have ordered employers to give a substantial […]

Lowest-income households have lost as much as Php6,800 to high inflation

November 6, 2018

The incomes of the country’s poorest households have eroded after ten months of accelerating inflation. Research group IBON estimates that the poorest 60 million Filipinos have suffered income losses of anywhere from Php2,500 to as much as Php6,800 because of worsening inflation since the start of 2018. The inflation rate has increased from 3.4% in […]

Stubbornly high inflation increases risk of econ slowdown, unmanageable debt–IBON

November 6, 2018

Research group IBON said that the apparently uncontrollable inflation is fast becoming a flashpoint of the administration’s economic mismanagement. High inflation is combining with rising interest rates, slowing remittances and failing exports to dampen economic growth. The administration is desperate for a short-term infrastructure stimulus to compensate for these, said the group, but a major growth slowdown […]