Philippine economy
TRAIN-induced price increases are permanent—IBON
May 10, 2018
The inflation spike marks the start of increases driven by the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) in the prices of basic goods and services for the next three years, research group IBON said. Further inflationary surges are likely to happen in 2019 and 2020 when the next two rounds of additional taxes on […]
Over a million more underemployed, part-time workers under Duterte
May 1, 2018
The number of Filipino workers relegated to insecure and low-paying jobs have grown under the Duterte administration, said research group IBON. Latest official labor force data shows a higher number of employed under Pres. Duterte. The number of employed increased to 41.8 million in January 2018 from 39.3 million in the same period last year, […]
Contractualization: A Neoliberal Policy (Excerpt from IBON Facts & Figures)
April 26, 2018
The exploitative practice of labor contracting is a continuing legacy of the country’s feudal and colonial history. It dates back from the cabo system – a labor arrangement that proliferated during Spanish colonialism. Cabos acted as labor negotiators and suppliers to companies and project or contract-based (pakyao) jobs. The system was commonly practiced in small-time […]
Contractualization Prevails (IBON Facts & Figures Excerpt)
April 23, 2018
“Contractualization has violated workers’ rights to organize and collectively bargain for higher wages, economic benefits, social security, better terms of employment, and better work conditions. It has also forced workers into accepting unfair labor practices and violations of their political rights. This points to the urgency of real measures by the government to not merely […]
Rio for People (IBON Facts & Figures excerpt)
April 22, 2018
The proposed “Road to Rio” is not a departure from the general framework of the same greedy system that has pushed the planet to the precipice of destruction. It still looks at nature, people and their products as capital that must be used in the most efficient manner for profit accumulation and capitalist expansion. It […]
Wage woes amid higher prices
April 21, 2018
There should be an immediate, substantial and across-the-board minimum wage increase against the high inflation. Approve and mandate the Php750 national minimum wage that workers’ groups are calling for. Suspend TRAIN Package One, which is among the drivers of inflation. Ensure job security, necessary benefits, working conditions, and much needed social services to assist Filipino […]
First quarter of TRAIN: A preview of the worse to come for the poor
April 20, 2018
Nanay Inday joins the many ordinary folk in bearing the brunt of price hikes upon the January 2018 implementation of the first package of the Duterte administration’s Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN). A resident of the urban poor community in San Roque North Triangle, she laments that there are no longer Php5.00 bundles […]
Filipino workers’ plight continues
April 16, 2018
As International Workers’ Day approaches, many Filipino workers still endure poor quality jobs that lack benefits, are low-paying, insecure and under unfavorable working conditions. Those workers who attempt to assert their labor rights face repressive measures such as losing their jobs, violent strike dispersals, and other rights violations. The Duterte administration’s pursuit and implementation of […]
What You Need to Know About Charter Change and its Possible Effects on the Education Sector
April 4, 2018
By Jose Lorenzo Lim (In a series of articles, IBON tackles proposals to amend the 1987 Philippine Constitution*, focusing on social and economic provisions. These touch on agrarian reform for industrialization, and full foreign ownership and control of Philippine lands and natural resources including agricultural lands, public utilities, labor rights, educational institutions and mass media. […]
