Will the creation of a department solve our water woes?

April 17, 2023

FEATURES

SB102 distorts the concept of water resources belonging to the commons or cultural and natural resources that are accessible to all members of a society by allowing water to be handled by the profit- and business- oriented private sector.

Universal Basic Income: To UBI or not to UBI

February 12, 2022

Free or affordable social services, decent jobs and incomes, affordable transport and utilities, and comfortable homes are much better indicators of beating poverty than programmed UBI cash transfers

Duterte giving public utilities to foreign capital

February 3, 2022

Congress recently ratified the bicameral version of the bill amending the Public Service Act and opening up domestic sectors to 100% ownership by foreign capital. This includes telecommunications, shipping, airports, airlines, railways, subways, expressways and tollways. Passing this proposed law will be one-step-forwards-two-steps-backwards for the country.

Scrap provincial bus ban, find pro-people solution to traffic–IBON

August 13, 2019

Government should find another way of decongesting Metro Manila’s major thoroughfare instead of aggravating the inconveniences of hundreds of thousands of provincial bus commuters, research group IBON said. Commuters’ welfare should be the primary consideration of the Duterte administration in addressing transport woes, said the group, but its approach should be comprehensive and regulation should cover private […]

Amendments to Public Services Act removes Constitutional protections on public utilities

May 24, 2019

Research group IBON raised the alarm that proposed amendments to the Public Services Act (PSA) removing Constitutional protections on public utilities will undermine national security and consumer welfare. The group argued that foreign control over important sectors should still be minimized and that natural monopolies should if anything be more tightly regulated. The Senate identified […]

Consumers to pay big business, foreign firms’ income tax under Duterte bill

October 20, 2017

By Arnold Padilla (Released at the launch of consumer network Samahan at Ugnayan ng Konsyumer para sa Ikauunlad ng Bayan (SUKI)) When President Rodrigo Duterte told striking jeepney drivers and operators “Magtiis kayo sa hirap at gutom”, he could be as well speaking to all poor Filipinos who struggle with ever-rising cost of electricity, water and […]