Carmma Panay

15/07/2026

Power interruptions, rising cost, amid EPIRA and promises from privatization

Why did the July 8 power outages occur? Could they have been prevented? Were reserve requirements and maintenance planning adequate? Why did the loss of a transmission line and two generating units immediately lead to widespread outages?

Consumers deserve complete transparency and accountability from NGCP, the Department of Energy (DOE), the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), and the concerned generation companies.

Read the full statement here: https://medium.com//power-interruptions-and-rising-rates-demand-a-fundamental-reassessment-of-ph-energy-sector-709470753a48

15/07/2026

The government should do better starting from getting real statistics.

Can a family truly be considered "not poor" simply because its income exceeds an official statistical threshold that is significantly lower than the actual cost of basic living?

The Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) Panay questions the National Anti-Poverty Commission's statement that a family of five in Western Visayas with a monthly income of Php13,900 is no longer considered poor based on the Philippine Statistics Authority's poverty threshold.

Our estimate shows that a family would need at least Php22,595.05 per month just to cover basic food, water, electricity, cooking fuel, transportation, and essential household and personal care items.

The issue is not merely how poverty is measured on paper, but whether Filipino families can genuinely afford adequate food, safe shelter, essential utilities, transportation, healthcare, education, and other necessities without constantly sacrificing basic needs or falling into debt.

06/07/2026

A wage hike, particularly towards a living wage, is more urgent than ever.

Filipino workers’ already meager wages are failing to keep up with rising prices—now further worsened by the ongoing Middle East conflict—hitting many families hard and pushing more into poverty.

Read more in the comments.

06/07/2026

The World Bank reclassified the Philippines as upper middle-income. Does this mean the country has arrived? And that the conditions of millions of Filipinos improved?

Read in the comments.

06/07/2026

06/07/2026

05/07/2026