Economy

The Philippines has never had a wealth tax. For as long as there has been a tax system in the country, taxes have been collected from what people pay for what they consume or from what they earn. Since the pandemic exploded at the start of the year, much has been said about the unprecedented…

There’s more than enough money for all the COVID-19 response we need – the Duterte administration just has to take the side of the people and stop being so scared of the rich. The Philippines is in the middle of its worst public health and economic crisis in decades, possibly even in its history. The…

At a time when funds are urgent for the huge COVID-19 response needed, research group IBON said that the Duterte administration is giving up Php667 billion in revenues to boost the profits of the country’s largest corporations. Oligarch profits are boosted at the expense of aiding poor families, containing the spread of the coronavirus, and…

How many mothers have been forced to leave their little ones at home, walk far, and stand in long lines for ayuda only to go home empty-handed? How many senior citizens and persons with disability (PWD), despite their frailty and limits, still tried to get support but in vain? What can government say to people…

The Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF), presided by Pres. Rodrigo Duterte, addressed the country on Tuesday. Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III was a moment of lucidity especially compared to his principal’s rambling incoherence. Unfortunately, being lucid doesn’t necessarily mean being correct. Resilient and the best? Sec. Dominguez opened by…