poverty
Poor Filipino families worst hit by rising July 2018 inflation
August 8, 2018
Research group IBON said that faster inflation largely due to rising food prices hits poor households the worst. The group also said that the Duterte administration’s proposal to increase food imports is short-sighted, and that the best defense against rising food prices and high inflation is to increase domestic food supply through long-term solutions that […]
Rice tariffication to impoverish Filipino farmers more, Congress warned
August 4, 2018
Research group IBON raised concern over the current move by the House of Representatives (HOR) to lift the quantitative restrictions (QR) on rice imports and instead apply a 35% tariff on unlimited rice importation. This will practically decrease farmgate prices, said IBON, but not necessarily lower retail rice prices as government claims. Rice prices have […]
Duterte aggravates the Filipino people’s woes
July 4, 2018
The Duterte administration’s second full year in office sees the people’s condition worsening and the need for genuine reforms even more urgent. The government is however digging in its heels and pushing more harmful neoliberal measures that aggravate the people’s plight instead of implementing policies that overcome economic backwardness. Filipinos struggle to cope with fast […]
Raising the bar: Demanding a decent minimum wage
June 22, 2018
Before being retrenched for protesting condiments manufacturer NutriAsia for its various labor rights violations, Alvin Lascano, a machine operator, used to receive Central Luzon’s (Region III) minimum wage of Php380.00. According to the government, wages in the country have to vary because of varying costs of living in the different regions. “Pero hindi naman nagkakalayo […]
Severe Income Inequality in the Philippines (2)
June 19, 2018
Aside from only a few super-rich families holding one half of total Filipino family income, there is a huge gap between how much majority of ordinary Filipino households earn monthly, and that of the country’s top earners. But government’s market-oriented policies tend to make the rich richer and the poor poorer, such as slapping more […]
Time for govt to come up with realistic poverty threshold – IBON
June 8, 2018
Research group IBON said that it is about time for government to update its poverty threshold to reflect a more realistic poverty reduction target. This is in light of National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Ernesto Pernia’s recent statement that Php42,000 a month is “a decent income at least to live above the poverty […]
TRAIN worsens burden of inflation on poor – IBON
June 7, 2018
Almost 18 million Filipino families are already hard-pressed to survive on incomes below the family living wage of Php30,000 per month estimated by IBON Research group IBON said that higher prices as reflected in the accelerating May 2018 inflation bears heavily on the poor, and that the recently passed Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion […]
Stop over-relying on foreign investments, government told
June 4, 2018
Soon after the enactment of the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act, research group IBON said that the Duterte government should not depend on foreign investments for economic progress and job generation. For expediency, the Ease of Doing Business Act or Republic Act (RA) 11032 simplifies the application process for the […]
Severe Income Inequality in the Philippines
May 20, 2018
Despite being relatively high compared to other Asian countries, Philippine economic growth is lopsided in the interest of a few at the expense of the majority of poor Filipinos. High levels of wealth are concentrated in the hands of a few, while family incomes have stagnated in real terms, especially amid rising prices.
