Philippine economy
UCTs only temporary
March 11, 2018
DOF said TRAIN will be ‘manageable’ since there would be unconditional cash transfers (UCT) for 10 million poor households. However, UCT is at Php200 per month in 2018 and 2019 then becomes Php300 per month in 2020. It is discontinued in 2021, when the poorest Filipino families will be confronted by markedly higher prices that […]
US still a major player
March 10, 2018
While the Duterte administration claims to have an independent foreign policy, his major programs such as the packages of tax reforms and the planned Charter change are among the key policy reforms long lobbied for by US business groups together with US aid agencies. Moreover, the US remains a major player in the Philippine economy. […]
Unsolicited projects for favored business interests to rise under Pres. Duterte?
March 2, 2018
By Arnold Padilla When President Duterte said last month that “all projects of the Philippines would be something like a Swiss Challenge”, media attention has focused on the Swiss Challenge and its implications. But what the presidential statement implied was that in order to supposedly fast track his ambitious Build Build Build program, the administration […]
January inflation partially due to TRAIN—IBON
March 2, 2018
No cash transfers to cover January inflation, with prices going even higher in the months and years to come The Department of Finance (DOF) said that January inflation was not caused by the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law. Research group IBON however points out that the new tax program definitely contributed to […]
Wholesale ‘Swiss challenge’ will lead to greater, more hidden corruption–IBON
February 2, 2018
The Duterte administration’s proposal to do away with public bidding and replace this with the even less transparent ‘Swiss challenge’ system for all government projects could lead to more extensive and veiled corruption, said research group IBON’s executive director Sonny Africa. Pres. Duterte’s push for the Swiss challenge system is supposedly aimed at getting rid […]
2017 Yearend Birdtalk: Dutertenomics and Dictatorship, Thwarting Democracy
January 29, 2018
Download the 2017 Yearend Birdtalk briefing paper here The year 2017 will be remembered as the year when the first major signs of distress for the Duterte administration showed themselves. The signs of economic troubles and the fundamentally anti-poor direction of economic policies became even clearer. The political agenda of centralized power and extended rule […]
Under Duterte: Biggest contraction in employment in 20 years –IBON
January 20, 2018
PH growth job-destroying in 2017 Going on its second year, the Duterte administration saw the largest contraction in employment in 20 years, research group IBON said in its year-end analysis of economic and political trends. This shows that generally rising Philippine economic growth remained unfelt by Filipinos amid a worsening jobs crisis, said the […]
Independent foreign policy? Foreign interests behind TRAIN, Cha-cha, says IBON
January 18, 2018
While President Duterte likes to claim that his administration adheres to an independent foreign policy, it appears that his major programs such as the packages of tax reforms and the planned Charter change (Cha-cha) are actually pushed by US and other foreign interests. IBON noted that the tax reforms and Cha-cha are among the key policy reforms long lobbied for by […]
Letter to the Editor | Five reasons why the TRAIN will not benefit the poor
January 16, 2018
These reiterations are in reaction to the article “Assessing TRAIN” by Mr. Filomeno Sta. Ana of the Action for Economic Reforms (AER), which appeared on the January 8, 2018 issue of Business World. IBON has repeatedly presented its evidence-based analysis of the TRAIN (basing on the Department of Finance data no less) and consistently deepened […]
