The bottom-up budgeting (BUB) process is one of the major reform initiatives of the Aquino administration and has been tagged as such from several perspectives. First, it is seen as a component of its budget reform thrusts that are aimed at making the national government budgeting process more...

The amendment of the existing excise tax law on tobacco and alcoholic products is the only revenue measure that the Aquino administration has certified as urgent to date. This paper reviews and evaluates the different versions of both houses of the sin tax reform measure. Republic Act (RA)...

This study presents an evaluation of the National Expenditure Program for 2013. First, this paper projects that the fiscal targets set out in the Budget of Expenditures and Sources of Financing (BESF) for 2013 are likely to be met. Specifically, fiscal deficit is projected to be PHP 9.6 billion...

Government education spending is expected to improve the well-being of beneficiaries and enhance their capability to earn income in the future. In this sense, directing education expenditures to the poor holds a promise for breaking the intergenerational transmission of poverty. Given this...

This paper aims to review and assess the protection afforded by the Social Security System (SSS) and the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), two of the three agencies tasked with administering social insurance in the country. Like social security systems in other countries, the GSIS and...