UP Tacloban Economics Society

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UP Tacloban Economics Society This is the official page of the UP Tacloban Economics Society

UP Tacloban College Economics Society is an academic organization of all bona fide BA (Economics) students of UP Tacloban College

11/10/2026

๐™’๐™๐™ค ๐™œ๐™š๐™ฉ๐™จ ๐™ฉ๐™ค ๐™›๐™š๐™š๐™ก ๐™ฉ๐™๐™š ๐™ช๐™ฅ๐™œ๐™ง๐™–๐™™๐™š? ๐Ÿชœ๐Ÿ“ˆ

The Philippinesโ€™ recent reclassification as an upper-middle-income country is often seen as a sign of economic progress. But behind the numbers and headlines, does this progress truly mirror the realities and experiences of the Filipino people? ๐Ÿ“Š

๐ƒ๐„๐‚๐Ž๐๐’๐“๐‘๐”๐‚๐“ ๐•๐ˆ: ๐’๐ญ๐š๐ญ๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐”๐ฉ๐ ๐ซ๐š๐๐ž?: ๐€๐ง ๐ˆ๐ง๐ฏ๐ž๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐๐ก๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ข๐ง๐ž๐ฌโ€™ ๐‘๐ž๐œ๐ฅ๐š๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐Ÿ๐ข๐œ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐š๐ฌ ๐š๐ง ๐”๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ž๐ซ-๐Œ๐ข๐๐๐ฅ๐ž-๐ˆ๐ง๐œ๐จ๐ฆ๐ž ๐‚๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ๐ซ๐ฒ seeks to look beyond the label and examine what this reclassification says about the countryโ€™s economic progress, development, and the lives of its people.

Joining us in this meaningful discussion are ๐ƒ๐ซ. ๐‰๐š๐ฌ๐จ๐ง ๐€๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ง๐ฎ๐ซ๐ข๐ง, ๐Œ๐ซ. ๐‹๐š๐ง๐œ๐ž ๐€๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ๐ฒ ๐€๐ฅ๐จ, ๐Œ๐ซ. ๐‘๐จ๐›๐ž๐ซ๐ญ ๐ƒ๐จ๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐ข๐œ๐ค ๐Œ๐š๐ซ๐ข๐š๐ง๐จ, and ๐ƒ๐ซ. ๐‘๐จ๐ž๐ก๐ฅ๐š๐ง๐จ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ž๐ฌ, moderated by ๐ƒ๐ซ. ๐Œ๐š. ๐‹๐š๐š๐ซ๐ง๐ข ๐ƒ. ๐‘๐ž๐ฏ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐š.

More than celebrating the progress, let us magnify and dissect the realities behind this โ€œstatus upgradeโ€โ€”and who gets to feel its effects ๐Ÿ”.

Let us dive into this timely conversation and join us this ๐Œ๐จ๐ง๐๐š๐ฒ, ๐Ž๐œ๐ญ๐จ๐›๐ž๐ซ ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ, ๐Ÿ๐ŸŽ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ”, ๐Ÿ๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐Ÿ:๐ŸŽ๐ŸŽ ๐๐Œ ๐ญ๐จ ๐Ÿ“:๐ŸŽ๐ŸŽ ๐๐Œ at the ๐ˆ๐‚๐Ž๐๐„๐ƒ ๐€๐ฎ๐๐ข๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ข๐ฎ๐ฆ, ๐”๐๐‹๐, or online via ๐™๐จ๐จ๐ฆ.

๐Ÿ‘‡ Hear from our speakers and gain valuable insights! Register now at: https://bit.ly/4i60qUd

Note: Walk-in participants may be accommodated, subject to seat availability, on a ๐Ÿ๐ข๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ-๐œ๐จ๐ฆ๐ž, ๐Ÿ๐ข๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ-๐ฌ๐ž๐ซ๐ฏ๐ž๐ basis.

๐Ÿ“ง For inquiries, please contact Ranz Alwyn Enriquez at 0956 400 7710 or email us at [email protected].

๐Ÿ“ ๐—–๐—ผ-๐—ฝ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฑ ๐—ฏ๐˜†:
๐†๐จ๐ฅ๐ ๐’๐ฉ๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ
โ–ช๏ธ Coletteโ€™s Food Inc.
โ–ช๏ธ Cuento de Cafe
๐’๐ข๐ฅ๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ ๐’๐ฉ๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ
โ–ช๏ธ UNO Restobar
โ–ช๏ธ SideWok
๐๐ซ๐จ๐ง๐ณ๐ž ๐’๐ฉ๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ
โ–ช๏ธ Mokape Coffee Los Baรฑos

๐Ÿชœ ๐ˆ๐ง ๐ฉ๐š๐ซ๐ญ๐ง๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ฉ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก:
๐๐ฅ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐๐š๐ซ๐ญ๐ง๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ
โ–ช๏ธ Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement (PRRM)
โ–ช๏ธ UP Society of Management and Economics Students (UP SMES)
โ–ช๏ธ Silliman Economics Society
โ–ช๏ธ MSU Marawi Junior Economics Society
โ–ช๏ธ MMSU Economics Society
โ–ช๏ธ Mindanao State University - General Santos Economics Society
โ–ช๏ธ Bicol University Economics Society
๐’๐ข๐ฅ๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ ๐๐š๐ซ๐ญ๐ง๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ
โ–ช๏ธ UP Alliance of Economics and Management Students (UP AEMS)
โ–ช๏ธ University of the Philippines Visayas Oeconomicus (UPV Oeconomicus)
๐๐ซ๐จ๐ง๐ณ๐ž ๐๐š๐ซ๐ญ๐ง๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ
โ–ช๏ธ UP Baguio Economics Society
โ–ช๏ธ Junior Economists Organization - Bulacan State University Main
โ–ช๏ธ UP Tacloban Economics Society

๐Ÿ“ƒ ๐ˆ๐ง ๐ฆ๐ž๐๐ข๐š ๐ฉ๐š๐ซ๐ญ๐ง๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ฉ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก:
โ–ช๏ธ UPLB Perspective
โ–ช๏ธ The Staple
โ–ช๏ธ Radioworld Broadcasting Corporation - CLTV36
โ–ช๏ธ Our Daily News Online
โ–ช๏ธ Great Minds Media, Inc. - Gadgets Magazine
โ–ช๏ธ Explained PH
โ–ช๏ธ UCB Media Philippines Inc - Edge TV

๐Ÿค ๐„๐ง๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ๐ž๐ ๐›๐ฒ:
โ–ช๏ธ Junior Philippine Economics Society (JPES)
โ–ช๏ธ Department of Economics (DE)
โ–ช๏ธ College of Economics and Management, Office of the Dean (CEM DO)
โ–ช๏ธ UPLB College of Economics and Management Student Council (UPLB CEM SC)
โ–ช๏ธ UPLB Office of Student Activities (OSA)


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๐‘ช๐’๐’๐’ˆ๐’“๐’‚๐’•๐’–๐’๐’‚๐’•๐’Š๐’๐’๐’” ๐’•๐’ ๐’‚๐’๐’ ๐‘ช๐’Š๐’—๐’Š๐’ ๐‘บ๐’†๐’“๐’—๐’Š๐’„๐’† ๐‘ฌ๐’™๐’‚๐’Ž๐’Š๐’๐’‚๐’•๐’Š๐’๐’ ๐‘ท๐’‚๐’”๐’”๐’†๐’“๐’” ๐’‡๐’“๐’๐’Ž ๐‘ผ๐‘ท๐‘ป ๐‘ฌ๐‘ช๐‘ถ๐‘บ๐‘ถ๐‘ช!We proudly congratulate all passers of the Civi...
10/10/2026

๐‘ช๐’๐’๐’ˆ๐’“๐’‚๐’•๐’–๐’๐’‚๐’•๐’Š๐’๐’๐’” ๐’•๐’ ๐’‚๐’๐’ ๐‘ช๐’Š๐’—๐’Š๐’ ๐‘บ๐’†๐’“๐’—๐’Š๐’„๐’† ๐‘ฌ๐’™๐’‚๐’Ž๐’Š๐’๐’‚๐’•๐’Š๐’๐’ ๐‘ท๐’‚๐’”๐’”๐’†๐’“๐’” ๐’‡๐’“๐’๐’Ž ๐‘ผ๐‘ท๐‘ป ๐‘ฌ๐‘ช๐‘ถ๐‘บ๐‘ถ๐‘ช!

We proudly congratulate all passers of the Civil Service Examination for this well-deserved achievement. May this milestone open doors to greater opportunities and inspire a continued commitment to excellence and public service.

Your hard work has paid off. Padayon!

CALL FOR DONATIONS: Urgent Medical Assistance for Jharmeil Balo, a second-year BS Economics student.Jharmeil Balo, a sec...
09/10/2026

CALL FOR DONATIONS: Urgent Medical Assistance for Jharmeil Balo, a second-year BS Economics student.

Jharmeil Balo, a second-year BS Economics student, was recently involved in a severe vehicular accident with a 10-wheeler truck. She is currently admitted at Christ the Healer Hospital in Sogod, Southern Leyte, suffering from a brain injury, hemorrhages, and loss of function in her left ear and eye.

We are humbly knocking on your generous hearts for monetary donations of any amount. Your financial support will directly assist her family with critical medical procedures, hospitalisation costs, and travel expenses during her treatment.

You may send your donations through the following accounts:

GCASH
09273351575
Jofannie Ann Balo (Mother)

Thank you so much for your help!

๐—–๐—ผ๐—บ๐—บ๐—ฒ๐—บ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐Ÿฑ๐Ÿฐ๐˜๐—ต ๐— ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ฎ๐—น ๐—Ÿ๐—ฎ๐˜„ ๐—”๐—ป๐—ป๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜€๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐˜†On the 21st of September 1972, then President Ferdinand Marcos signed Proc...
21/09/2026

๐—–๐—ผ๐—บ๐—บ๐—ฒ๐—บ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐Ÿฑ๐Ÿฐ๐˜๐—ต ๐— ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ฎ๐—น ๐—Ÿ๐—ฎ๐˜„ ๐—”๐—ป๐—ป๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜€๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐˜†

On the 21st of September 1972, then President Ferdinand Marcos signed Proclamation No. 1081, but announced to the public, implemented, and placed the Philippines under martial law two days later, on the 23rd. He declared this was a necessary constitutional defense โ€œto save the Republicโ€ and โ€œto reform society.โ€ However, this course of action led to immense widespread corruption and abuses of human rights, especially of the poor and marginalized by those whose power and authority was meant to serve and protect the very people they were now exploiting.

Amid these restrictions on civil liberties and documented abuses, many Filipinos chose to speak out and defend democratic ideals despite the risks, as seen by the peaceful protest known today as the EDSA Revolution or the People Power Revolution. This was a non-violent mass gathering of Filipino citizens united by collective action to call out and fight back against their oppression and abuse.

Their stories remind us that the democracy and freedom we have gained is sustained not only by institutions formed, but by the individual voices of the citizens willing to protect them.

๐€๐•๐ˆ๐’๐€๐‹๐€, ๐ˆ๐’๐Š๐—๐’!๐Ÿ’จECOSOCโ€™s ISKOMERKADO Merchandise are finally here! ๐Ÿคฉ Ready to serve in more ways than one! โ˜๏ธ Drop by ou...
11/08/2026

๐€๐•๐ˆ๐’๐€๐‹๐€, ๐ˆ๐’๐Š๐—๐’!๐Ÿ’จ

ECOSOCโ€™s ISKOMERKADO Merchandise are finally here! ๐Ÿคฉ Ready to serve in more ways than one! โ˜๏ธ

Drop by our booth and grab your picks! ๐ŸฌWeโ€™ve got foods, finds, games, and merch, all in one place, because why settle for one when you can have it all?๐Ÿ™‚โ€โ†”๏ธ๐Ÿฒ

WHATโ€™S IN STORE? ๐Ÿช
๐Ÿ“Œ๐—ฃ๐—ฎ๐˜€๐˜๐—ถ๐—น - ๐Ÿฏ๐Ÿฑ ๐—ฝ๐—ต๐—ฝ
๐Ÿ“Œ ๐—ฃ๐—ฎ๐˜€๐˜๐—ถ๐—น ๐˜„๐—ถ๐˜๐—ต ๐—๐˜‚๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ - ๐Ÿฐ๐Ÿฌ๐—ฝ๐—ต๐—ฝ
๐Ÿ“Œ๐—ฆ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ธ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜€ - ๐Ÿญ๐Ÿฑ๐—ฝ๐—ต๐—ฝ
๐Ÿ“Œ๐—ฆ๐—ฝ๐—ฎ๐—ด๐—ต๐—ฒ๐˜๐˜๐—ถ - ๐Ÿณ๐Ÿฑ๐—ฝ๐—ต๐—ฝ
๐Ÿ“Œ๐—–๐—ผ๐—น๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ ๐—š๐—ฎ๐—บ๐—ฒ - ๐Ÿญ๐Ÿฌ๐—ฝ๐—ต๐—ฝ
๐Ÿ“Œ๐—จ๐—ธ๐—ฎ๐˜†-๐—จ๐—ธ๐—ฎ๐˜†

You may also pre-order our ๐Ÿ“Œ ๐—œ๐˜€๐—ธ๐—ผ๐—บ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ธ๐—ฎ๐—ฑ๐—ผ ๐—ฆ๐—ต๐—ถ๐—ฟ๐˜๐˜€ at the booth or through the order form below!
โ›“๏ธโ€๐Ÿ’ฅ[http://forms.gle/7eknbtSLo5niUPxo6]

This isnโ€™t splurging, itโ€™s called shopping with style. KAYA OO, DESERVE MO TO!๐Ÿซต

Find us at the left-side of MPB, ๐™€๐˜พ๐™Š๐™Ž๐™Š๐˜พ ๐˜ฝ๐™ค๐™ค๐™ฉ๐™ #9! ๐Ÿ“

See you there! ๐Ÿ‘‹๐ŸŒป


โ€œ๐˜ฝ๐™š๐™จ! ๐˜ฝ๐™ž๐™ก๐™ž ๐™ฉ๐™–๐™ฎ๐™ค ๐™ข๐™š๐™ง๐™˜๐™ ๐™ฃ๐™œ ๐™€๐™˜๐™ค๐™Ž๐™ค๐™˜โ€ ๐Ÿ™โ€œ๐ป๐“‚๐“‚โ€ฆ ๐’น๐‘’๐“…๐‘’๐“ƒ๐’น๐‘’ ๐“€๐“Š๐“ƒ๐‘” ๐Ÿฅ โ€˜๐“Ž๐’ถ๐“ƒโ€ฆโ€ ๐ŸงWelcome back, Iskxs!New semester, new adventures, and new...
09/08/2026

โ€œ๐˜ฝ๐™š๐™จ! ๐˜ฝ๐™ž๐™ก๐™ž ๐™ฉ๐™–๐™ฎ๐™ค ๐™ข๐™š๐™ง๐™˜๐™ ๐™ฃ๐™œ ๐™€๐™˜๐™ค๐™Ž๐™ค๐™˜โ€ ๐Ÿ™
โ€œ๐ป๐“‚๐“‚โ€ฆ ๐’น๐‘’๐“…๐‘’๐“ƒ๐’น๐‘’ ๐“€๐“Š๐“ƒ๐‘” ๐Ÿฅ โ€˜๐“Ž๐’ถ๐“ƒโ€ฆโ€ ๐Ÿง

Welcome back, Iskxs!

New semester, new adventures, and newโ€ฆmerch? ๐Ÿ‘€

Get ready for the sem with our IskoMerkado 2026 merchโ€”perfect for your usual everyday ganap, org works, and gala with friends.

YOOHOO! Dito ang tingin ๐Ÿ˜
๐Ÿ“Œ Online Pre-order: [http://forms.gle/7eknbtSLo5niUPxo6]
๐Ÿ“ On-site pre-orders: EcoSoc Booth, MPB (Multipurpose Building) ๐Ÿ“… August 11-12, 2026

See you there! ๐Ÿ’š


๐ˆ๐ฌ๐š ๐๐š๐ง๐  ๐‡๐š๐ค๐›๐š๐ง๐  ๐๐š๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐จ๐ง๐  ๐ฉ๐š๐ซ๐š ๐ฌ๐š ๐”๐ ๐“๐š๐œ๐ฅ๐จ๐›๐š๐ง ๐„๐œ๐จ๐ง๐จ๐ฆ๐ข๐œ๐ฌ ๐’๐จ๐œ๐ข๐ž๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ŸŽ‰๐Ÿ“œThe UP Tacloban Economics Society is now officially re...
05/08/2026

๐ˆ๐ฌ๐š ๐๐š๐ง๐  ๐‡๐š๐ค๐›๐š๐ง๐  ๐๐š๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐จ๐ง๐  ๐ฉ๐š๐ซ๐š ๐ฌ๐š ๐”๐ ๐“๐š๐œ๐ฅ๐จ๐›๐š๐ง ๐„๐œ๐จ๐ง๐จ๐ฆ๐ข๐œ๐ฌ ๐’๐จ๐œ๐ข๐ž๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ŸŽ‰๐Ÿ“œ

The UP Tacloban Economics Society is now officially registered under the ๐˜๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ก ๐Ž๐ซ๐ ๐š๐ง๐ข๐ณ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐‘๐ž๐ ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ ๐ซ๐š๐ฆ (๐˜๐Ž๐‘๐) ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐š๐ฅ ๐˜๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ก ๐‚๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ซ๐จ๐ฎ๐ ๐ก ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐‚๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐˜๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ก ๐ƒ๐ž๐ฏ๐ž๐ฅ๐จ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ž๐ง๐ญ ๐Ž๐Ÿ๐Ÿ๐ข๐œ๐ž ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐“๐š๐œ๐ฅ๐จ๐›๐š๐ง ๐‚๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ. This milestone marks another step forward for the organization and opens the opportunity for UP Tacloban Economics Society to become part of the Tacloban City Youth Development Council (CYDC), where youth organizations are given a platform to contribute to discussions and initiatives that shape the local community.

This achievement reflects the dedication and hard work of the officers, members, and alumni who have continuously strengthened UP Tacloban Economics Society through meaningful projects, advocacy, and service.

As we celebrate this milestone, we also look ahead to greater opportunities to represent the voice of young economists and create a lasting impact beyond the University.

Padayon, Ekonomista ng Bayan! โœจ๐Ÿ’š

The UP Tacloban Economics Society is excited to share that we are now officially affiliated with the ๐†๐ฅ๐จ๐›๐š๐ฅ ๐˜๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ก ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ ๐ซ๐š...
03/08/2026

The UP Tacloban Economics Society is excited to share that we are now officially affiliated with the ๐†๐ฅ๐จ๐›๐š๐ฅ ๐˜๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ก ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ ๐ซ๐š๐ฆ (๐†๐˜๐) ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐’๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐š๐ข๐ง๐š๐›๐ฅ๐ž ๐ƒ๐ž๐ฏ๐ž๐ฅ๐จ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ž๐ง๐ญ ๐’๐จ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐๐ž๐ญ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ค (๐’๐ƒ๐’๐), a ๐”๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ž๐ ๐๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐š๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ž dedicated to advancing the ๐’๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐š๐ข๐ง๐š๐›๐ฅ๐ž ๐ƒ๐ž๐ฏ๐ž๐ฅ๐จ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ž๐ง๐ญ ๐†๐จ๐š๐ฅ๐ฌ (๐’๐ƒ๐†๐ฌ).

Through this affiliation, our organization joins a global community of youth leaders, student organizations, and institutions working together to promote sustainable and evidence-based solutions to local and global challenges. This milestone opens new opportunities for collaboration, learning, and meaningful engagement with initiatives that contribute to sustainable development.

As an organization rooted in economics and public service, we look forward to integrating the principles of the SDGs into our future programs, projects, and advocacies while continuing to serve our members and communities with purpose and impact.

๐Ÿ“ˆ ๐–๐„๐‹๐‚๐Ž๐Œ๐„ ๐“๐Ž ๐”๐ ๐“๐€๐‚๐‹๐Ž๐๐€๐, ๐„๐‚๐Ž๐ ๐ˆ๐’๐Š๐—๐’! ๐Ÿ’šโคCongratulations on becoming part of the BS Economics Program at the University o...
03/08/2026

๐Ÿ“ˆ ๐–๐„๐‹๐‚๐Ž๐Œ๐„ ๐“๐Ž ๐”๐ ๐“๐€๐‚๐‹๐Ž๐๐€๐, ๐„๐‚๐Ž๐ ๐ˆ๐’๐Š๐—๐’! ๐Ÿ’šโค

Congratulations on becoming part of the BS Economics Program at the University of the Philippines Tacloban! ๐ŸŽ‰ Your journey into the world of economics begins now, and we're excited to welcome you to the community.

As your home organization, UPTC Economics Society is here to support you every step of the way through academic resources, mentorship, activities, and a vibrant community of fellow Econ students.

To officially begin your journey as a BS Economics student, accomplish the registration form through the link below or by scanning the QR code. Once registered, you'll be added to the official BS Economics Freshies Group Chat and Official EcoSoc GC, where you'll receive important announcements, academic updates, event invitations, and opportunities to connect with your fellow freshies and upperclassmen.

๐Ÿ“https://forms.gle/VgtyQjCgVz4HFpjE8

Welcome to BS Economics. Welcome home to UPTC EcoSoc. We can't wait to meet you, future economists! ๐Ÿ“Šโœจ

Pubmat by Daene Delmo

๐’๐“๐€๐“๐„๐Œ๐„๐๐“ ๐Ž๐… ๐“๐‡๐„ ๐”๐ ๐“๐€๐‚๐‹๐Ž๐๐€๐ ๐„๐‚๐Ž๐๐Ž๐Œ๐ˆ๐‚๐’ ๐’๐Ž๐‚๐ˆ๐„๐“๐˜ ๐Ž๐ ๐๐€๐— ๐’๐ˆ๐‹๐ˆ๐‚๐€Over the past few weeks, the proposed establishment of the U...
02/08/2026

๐’๐“๐€๐“๐„๐Œ๐„๐๐“ ๐Ž๐… ๐“๐‡๐„ ๐”๐ ๐“๐€๐‚๐‹๐Ž๐๐€๐ ๐„๐‚๐Ž๐๐Ž๐Œ๐ˆ๐‚๐’ ๐’๐Ž๐‚๐ˆ๐„๐“๐˜ ๐Ž๐ ๐๐€๐— ๐’๐ˆ๐‹๐ˆ๐‚๐€

Over the past few weeks, the proposed establishment of the United States-backed Pax Silica Artificial Intelligence and semiconductor hub in New Clark City, Tarlac has dominated public discourse. Presented as a catalyst for economic growth, employment generation, energy security, and technological advancement, the government promises an aspiration for the developing Philippine economy.

However, as economists, we recognize that investment alone does not constitute development. Economic Development is measured not merely by increases in output or capital inflows, but by the expansion of peopleโ€™s capabilities, equitable distribution of opportunities, and the strengthening of domestic institutions.

๐“๐ก๐ž ๐”๐ ๐“๐š๐œ๐ฅ๐จ๐›๐š๐ง ๐„๐œ๐จ๐ง๐จ๐ฆ๐ข๐œ๐ฌ ๐’๐จ๐œ๐ข๐ž๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž๐ซ๐ž๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ๐ž ๐จ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฌ๐ž๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐ž๐ฌ๐ญ๐š๐›๐ฅ๐ข๐ฌ๐ก๐ฆ๐ž๐ง๐ญ ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฌ๐ž๐ ๐๐š๐ฑ ๐’๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐œ๐š ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ฃ๐ž๐œ๐ญ. While industrialization, technological advancement, and energy security are legitimate development objectives, we maintain that the projectโ€™s long-term economic, environmental, and social costs have not been demonstrated to be outweighed by its projected benefits. Development cannot be justified by investment figures alone. It must enhance national welfare, protect environmental assets, strengthen domestic productive capacity, and improve the lives of present and future generations. We further call for transparency regarding fiscal incentives, comprehensive cost-benefit analyses that internalize environmental and social externalities, meaningful consultation with affected communities, and an industrial policy that prioritizes national development over short-term economic indicators.

Pax Silica is often justified as a catalyst for technological progress. However, technological leadership cannot be imported, it must be cultivated through sustained investments in human capital, scientific research, domestic innovation, and strong public institutions. Long-term economic transformation depends on a country's ability to develop its own technological capabilities, retain its skilled workforce, and move up global value chains. If the underlying technology, intellectual property, advanced manufacturing processes, and high-value occupations remain externally controlled, then the Philippines risks remaining a production site rather than becoming an innovation economy. We are at risk of becoming hosts of production rather than owners of development. Hence, we ask the questions that matter most:

๐˜ž๐˜ฉ๐˜ฐ๐˜ด๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฆ๐˜ค๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฎ๐˜บ ๐˜ข๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ธ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ๐˜ข๐˜ญ๐˜ญ๐˜บ ๐˜จ๐˜ณ๐˜ฐ๐˜ธ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ?
๐˜ž๐˜ฉ๐˜ฐ๐˜ด๐˜ฆ ๐˜ธ๐˜ฆ๐˜ญ๐˜ง๐˜ข๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ข๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ธ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ต๐˜ณ๐˜ถ๐˜ญ๐˜บ ๐˜ฑ๐˜ณ๐˜ช๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ๐˜ช๐˜ต๐˜ช๐˜ป๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ?

The government must weigh the social and environmental costs brought by the industries targeted by Pax Silica. Semiconductor manufacturing is among the most resource-intensive industries in the world, demanding substantial quantities of water and electricity while generating hazardous chemical waste and greenhouse gas emissions. Environmental costs such as chemical waste, greenhouse gas emissions, and water scarcity in surrounding areas of impact are seldom addressed by investors. Its impacts are felt by generations of Filipinos, compromising their quality of life and their right to a safe, healthy environment. This constitutes a classic case of market failure where the apparent profitability of the project depends on environmental costs that are neither fully priced nor fully borne by those who benefit from it. A project that prioritizes profit without consideration of its ramifications cannot be defended as a sustainable economic strategy.

The promise of a growing GDP is an illusion that mistakes development as accumulation that enriches multinational corporations while trickling little long-term benefits down to the common people. Long-term growth ultimately depends on technological progress, improvements on human capital and efficiency, and sustainable strategies that anticipate risk. If technical knowledge remains foreign-owned, Filipino talents and institutions remain underinvested, leading to domestic stagnancy and brain drain. As a result, foreign investment raises production but not productivity.

We urge the government to place the welfare of the Filipinos at the center of its developmental directions. Before offering promises of advanced GDP metrics and transformative investment, we must ask: Why must we rely on unsustainable foreign-based strategies rather than invest and nurture our own people's brightest minds?

A government that is willing to extend generous incentives to investors must first demonstrate the same commitment to its own people. Incentives for strategic industries must reflect in multi-faceted national improvement and expansion especially for quality of life, education, agriculture, and industrialization. It must pour into agricultural productivity, workersโ€™ welfare, and public services. Development is measured by whether Filipinos retain their dignity and improve their ways of living. As such, no investment strategy should place the interests of capital ahead of the basic needs of the very people it claims to uplift.

The promise of employment and inclusive economic growth as a whole must be supported in both quantity and quality, including their ability to earn a living wage, exercise their rights in safe workplaces, and or achieve a decent quality of life. Metrics on the potential amount of jobs generated by Pax Silica is secondary to when economic insecurity persists while the benefits of development accrue elsewhere.

These things interconnect into the root concern on the dilemma that is Pax Silica: the tug of war between the resource costs, tangible and intangible, to be spent by the project, compared to the benefits it promises. Clean water, food security worsened by poor irrigation and climate change, and infrastructure are basic necessities for dignified living. It is not whether Pax Silica generates benefits, but if they can withstand the interconnected costs borne by the people and reflect through greater social returns. Sustainable development is not isolated through economic domains alone, but socially and politically. By neglecting these foundations while relying on foreign-led industrialization, the country risks reinforcing technological dependence instead of building genuine economic stability.

For these reasons, the UP Tacloban Economics Society cannot support the Pax Silica project in its present form. We reject the notion that attracting foreign investment alone constitutes socio-economic development, especially when its environmental costs remain uncertain, its technological gains are externally controlled, and its public subsidies come at the expense of urgent domestic priorities. The Philippines deserves an industrial strategy that is environmentally sustainable, socially equitable, and genuinely Filipino-led. Until these conditions are met, Pax Silica is not the development the country needs.




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