Dissatisfied with the nature of the fourth rate rebasing public consultation held Wednesday, consumer network Samahan at Ugnayan ng mga Konsyumer para sa Ikauunlad ng Bayan (SUKI) urged the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System Regulatory Office (MWSS-RO) to conduct a genuine consultation and exercise in transparency in presenting the data used to justify the proposed…
Advocacy group Water for the People Network (WPN) is appealing to the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System – Regulatory Office (MWSS-RO) to halt the ongoing rate rebasing process that is expected to raise water rates in Metro Manila and its environs, saying the basis for determining future water rates remains unresolved. Concessionaires Maynilad and Manila…
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 are necessarily rationalized across the nation depending on the varying costs of living in the regions. “Pero hindi naman nagkakalayo…
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…
On June 12, 1898, Philippine independence was declared in a ceremony in Kawit, Cavite. For the first time, the national flag made by Marcela Agoncillo in Hongkong was raised, while the bands played Marcha National Filipina written by Julian Felipe. Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista wrote and read the Declaration of Independence. Aguinaldo announced the separation of…
Over 700,000 jobs lost in agriculture and fisheries Research group IBON said that despite recently hyped growth of 6.8% in first quarter 2018 the country’s jobs situation continues to worsen under the Duterte administration. The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported that the employment rate grew slightly to 94.5% in April 2018, while the unemployment…
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…
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…