Locally produced drugs, with imported ingredients nonetheless, have higher mark-ups—distributors by at most 355% and again retailers by another 117%, making the drug retailers in the Philippines the richest in the supply chain. #VATTangglin #PresyoIbaba #BuildPHIndustries

Across all regions, the average nominal minimum wage is just Php505 or 39.5% of the Php1,277 estimated average living wage for a family of five. Hi-res version: ibon.org/flw-regl-2603 #SahodItaas #PeopleEconomics

The NCR Php695 minimum wage is not enough to keep up with the rising cost of living - this is only a little over half of the Php1,266 family living wage. #SahodItaas #PresyoIbaba Hi-res version: ibon.org/flw-ncr-2603

Inflation surged to 4.1% in March, up from 2.4% in February. For the poorest 30% of households, it rose to 4.2% from 2.5 percent. This demands bigger, bolder government action to mitigate the impact of oil and all other price hikes on the broader public.

Persistently high fuel prices in the Philippines—now among the highest in ASEAN and a major driver of higher March inflation—are the result of deliberate government policy choices. #JunkODL #VATTanggalin #PeopleEconomics www.ibon.org/ph-fuel-cost...

"Excise and VAT on the consumption of ordinary Filipinos are regressive taxes on daily survival." IBON Executive Director on govt decision on fuel excise tax #VATTanggalin #PeopleEconomics #JunkODL

Recent rounds of labor survey show the long-standing jobs crisis has been largely ignored and worsened even before oil prices began surging in March.

Big Pharma—a handful of multinational corporations—dominate the global pharmaceutical industry and shape pricing, supply, and access. #WorldHealthDay #BuildPHIndustries

Medicines shouldn’t be monopolized. Big Pharma’s patent control delays affordable generics and limits access for millions. #WorldHealthDay #BuildPHIndustries

Medicines are next? Here's why they already are expensive to begin with. #WorldHealthDay #BuildPHIndustries

READ: ibon.org/medicines-are-next At face value, it may sound like a gentle reminder that prevention is better than cure, but it screams a hard truth: Filipinos cannot afford to be sick. #PeopleEconomics

The Philippines has among the smallest agriculture and manufacturing sectors in Southeast Asia because of decades of landlessness, neglect, liberalization, and foreign-dictated economic policies that have kept the country in poverty and underdeveloped. #DOTL2026

Petron owner Ramon Ang has a net worth of Php209.8 billion. A billionaire wealth tax on Ang generates Php12.4 billion in revenue. His remaining wealth will still be a huge Php197.4 billion. #TaxTheRich #FinanceDevelopment #PeopleEconomics

The declaration of a national emergency will need large funding to be meaningful. A billionaire wealth tax generating at least Php500 billion will help ensure more Filipinos will be given help for as long as they need. #TaxTheRich #PeopleEconomics

Water. Electricity. Transport. Social services. These are basic needs, not commercial or luxury goods. Privatization undermines the rights of Filipino consumers and should be stopped. Click on the thread to read more 👇👇

The all-time low peso and surging global oil prices are a double whammy that will double inflation in the coming months, hitting millions of poor Filipino families the hardest. www.ibon.org/oil-php-wham...

At the crossroads of national food security and imperialist interests, the government has consistently chosen the latter. #JunkRTL #riceprices #PresyoIbaba #PeopleEconomics

ICYMI: ibon.org/fy26-educ-budget-cannot-deliver Education receives the largest allocation in the 2026 national budget, meeting UNESCO's recommended benchmark for the 1st time. Marcos Jr administration is celebrating it as historic. Yet this declaration rings hollow. #Budget2026 #PeopleEconomics

There're 790,000 more unemployed in Jan 2026 from last year. IBON's 2026 Yearstarter paper explains the country's job-degrading and job-poor growth, and the urgency of national industrialization to fix this. ibon.org/2602-birdtalk-briefing

"The Philippines has had job-poor growth and job-degrading growth for decades." #PeopleEconomics #JobsPH

ICYMI: The 5.8% unemployment rate in January 2026 reported by the PSA is the highest since June 2022. #JobsPH #PeopleEconomics ibon.org/highest-joblessness-since-2022-due-to-economys-structural-defects

ICYMI: Global supply disruptions or geopolitical tensions quickly translate into higher transport and production costs in the Philippines. We are heavily dependent on imported oil, so global crude prices move closely with local diesel and gasoline prices.

ICYMI: The country’s tax burden is shifting from corporations to households. Poor and middle-class women and their families are hit harder as they pay VAT and excise taxes on basic expenses like fuel, electricity, food and transport. #ScrapVAT #PeopleEconomics

ICYMI: Rising oil prices amid escalating conflict in the Middle East threaten to further erode Filipinos’ already weak purchasing power. #JunkODL #ScrapVAT #PeopleEconomics ibon.org/oil-shocks-risk-further-erosion-of-filipinos-purchasing-power

The measures the Marcos Jr administration takes to address economic shocks brought by the US-Israel attack on Iran have to be weighed against the magnitude of the problems at hand. #OilPrices #USIranConflict #PeopleEconomics ibon.org/ph-oil-troubles

"The Marcos Jr administration can show genuine concern by getting at the root of the problem." #usirantensions #bbm #ofw #peopleeconomics

The US’s 742 military bases worldwide aren’t about defense -- they’re a global launchpad for war. They ring the world as the US's infrastructure to maintain US hegemony. The latest unprovoked attacks on Iran show exactly how those bases are used. #ustroopsoutnow #stoptheuswarmachine

People Power was never meant to be a single day. If Filipinos want the next 40 years to look differently, we must continue showing up. #EDSA #PeopleEconomics ibon.org/edsa40-reclaimed-democracy-or-elite-continuity

[🧵] Two of the highest officials of the land face serious allegations for abuse of power and misuse of public funds. These issues compelled the impeachment raps currently being deliberated in Congress. #StopKorap #KurakotManagot #PeopleEconomics

In a country where economic problems cut deep, interest rate cuts really just won't cut it. #MalalangEkonomiya #FinanceDevelopment #PeopleEconomics www.ibon.org/why-interest...

"We didn't 'see' corruption while it was happening in the 2023-2025 budgets - and until today only see what the government allows us to see." #StopKorap #LahatManagot #PeopleEconomics

Beyond the flood control projects corruption scandal, the dismissed impeachment complaint against the President points to deeper structural problems. ibon.org/impeachment-peoples-right-to-truth #StopKorap #LahatngKorapDapatManagot #PeopleEconomics

The Marcos Jr administration celebrates a 'true education budget' for 2026. Yet this declaration rings hollow. #Budget2026 #PeopleEconomics ibon.org/fy26-educ-budget-cannot-deliver

The 2026 health budget may be the largest on record, but this does not automatically translate into better health outcomes for the Filipino people. #PeopleEconomics #Budget2026

"Can we trust a presidency and Congress that thrives on pork barrel to be concerned that their economic policies are what's best for the people?" #PeopleEconomics

Noong 2025, papalubog na ang ekonomiya. Nakaubos pasensya na wala pa ring nakukulong, at sa halip ay ginagamit lang ang isyu para sa 2028. Galit ang bayan, pero itinuon ito sa mas matataas na diskurso — ito ang kakaharapin sa 2026. www.ibon.org/ibon-praymer...

Corruption scandals weighed the economy down in the second half of 2025, but the deeper problem lies in a growth model that has been breaking since 2017. #GrowthPH #PeopleEconomics #MalalangEkonomiya www.ibon.org/fy25-gdp-slo...

READ: ibon.org/ph-econ-beyond-pr Inflation reflects changes in the cost of living over time, particularly the immediate pressure households face. However, employment quality and stability are the more decisive determinants of long-term family welfare. #PeopleEconomics

READ: ibon.org/ph-econ-beyond-pr There is also an important story beneath the numbers. Looking at the structure of employment over years confirms that the economy and Filipinos are forced to rely on volatile informal, unstable, and low-productivity work. #PeopleEconomics

As the country enters 2026 amid political unrest and persistent corruption, public attention has largely focused on holding officials to account. Issues will be taken up at the 2026 IBON Birdtalk Yearstarter. #PeopleEconomics www.ibon.org/pbbm-falteri...

The Marcos Jr administration and its economic managers blame corruption for the growth slowdown. All the country lacks it seems, is “good governance”. The argument seems compelling, but are decency and good intentions really all we need? #IBONBirdtalk #PeopleEconomics www.ibon.org/isnt-corrupt...

A closer look reveals that the 2026 agricultural budget is not pork-free and insufficient to meaningfully improve food security and rural livelihoods. #IBONBirdtalk #PeopleEconomics www.ibon.org/pork-not-rur...

Most of the Marcos Jr administration's massive borrowing did not go to development or easing people's lives. #IBONBirdtalk #PeopleEconomics

Since taking office, the Marcos Jr administration's outstanding debt has ballooned by 38%. The average monthly increase in outstanding debt under Marcos surpasses that of previous administrations. Hi-res: ibon.org/marcos-borrowing-ao-2511/ #IBONBirdtalk #PeopleEconomics

The national government outstanding debt under Marcos Jr is now over Php17.6 trillion, or more than Php642,000 per family. Hi-res: ibon.org/ng-debt-ao-2511/ #IBONBirdtalk #PeopleEconomics

Amid the Marcos Jr government’s anti-corruption posture, public pressure influenced the 2026 budget with some reallocation. However, this was not according to any national development strategy or sustained socioeconomic transformation. #IBONBirdtalk #PeopleEconomics

The country stands at a crossroads in 2026. #IBONBirdtalk #PeopleEconomics www.ibon.org/weak-leaders...

The average nominal minimum wage across the country's 17 regions is only Php498 and it is Php742 short of the Php1,240 estimated average family living wage for a family of five. Hi-res: ibon.org/flw-regl-2512 #SahodItaas #PeopleEconomics

Despite low inflation in December 2025, Filipinos still struggle with the low real value of wages and high food prices. Hi-res available: www.ibon.org/prices-wages... #PeopleEconomics #SahodItaas #PresyoIbaba

"The country's growth and development most of all depends on investing in agriculture and Filipino industry." #FinanceDevelopment #StriveForSovereignty #PeopleEconomics