By MARICAR PIEDADIBON Foundation The announcement of Ramon Ang’s San Miguel Corporation (SMC) winning the Php170.6-billion deal to rehabilitate the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) did not sit well with a lot of people. Privatization it seems is a traumatic word for many Filipinos. A...
The railroading and passage of the Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) No. 7 shows that the House had already decided on the bill as soon as it was filed. It was irrelevant that the arguments for economic Charter change (Cha-cha) did not hold water. The House was just...
Research group IBON said that recent labor force data showing a drop in employed persons, combined with the phenomenal decrease in labor force participants and the swelling number of those not in the labor force, indicates a growing number of discouraged Filipino...
Research group IBON said the uptick in February headline inflation, pushed by the rapid increase in rice prices, shows that the Marcos administration’s so-called measures to tame inflation are not working. The group said that the government needs to quit its hype and...
At the on-going House of Representatives (HOR) hearings on economic Charter change (Cha-cha), Marikina 2nd district Rep. Stella Quimbo said the point of Cha-cha is to open up the economy so she was “shocked” at IBON’s claim that the Philippines is now already among...
In a House deliberation on wage hike proposals, research group IBON executive director Sonny Africa stressed that there is no reason not to give any of the wage hikes currently proposed by different legislation. The House of Representatives (HOR) Committee on Labor...
The Marcos Jr administration misses the most important point about the results of the recent OCTA survey which showed dissatisfaction with the government’s economic policies. They claim to acknowledge inflation, job creation, food security and poverty woes but their...
Economic managers’ hyped higher employment and lower unemployment figures are disconnected from the hardship that even more Filipinos are in, said research group IBON. Looking at annual labor force data the group said that the prevalent lack of decent work and the...
Research group IBON said that instead of hyping lower unemployment figures, the Marcos Jr administration should be more concerned about the decline in employed persons in wholesale and retail trade in December 2023 when the holiday season usually means more active...
Research group IBON said that the Marcos Jr administration’s reasons for amending economic provisions in the Constitution or economic Charter change (Cha-cha) are erroneous. Cha-cha will only bring more of the same foreign investment liberalization that has stranded...
The Marcos Jr administration knows that we all want good news because, well, who doesn’t. Unfortunately, the government is taking advantage of this to manage citizens’ perception of the economy to preempt public outcry and demands for pro-people economic policies....
The lower unemployment rate appears favorable but should not be taken at face value. The number of employed Filipinos has fallen from a year ago, with the biggest job losses in the critical manufacturing sector. Reported lower unemployment is illusory and it is more...
The economic managers shouldn’t be too pleased with the tapering of overall December 2023 inflation, research group IBON said, considering the poorest 30% of households are actually experiencing higher inflation. The group said that this shows the Marcos Jr...