Excise the excise tax for Pinoys’ relief
Balbieran is not sounding a doomsday alarm. He points to an ongoing infrastructure push as a potential buffer.
INFRA drive as shock absorber Professor Ronilo Balbieran, a senior economist at the University of Asia and the Pacific School of Economics, cites an ongoing infrastructure push as a potential buffer to the impact of the Middle East conflict.
Photograph courtesy of Professor Ronilo Balbieran/FB
Amid the surging global oil prices triggered by renewed fighting in the Middle East, a prominent Filipino economist is calling on the government to take bold, immediate action by temporarily slashing fuel excise taxes to keep money circulating and prevent the economy from grinding to a halt.
Professor Ronilo Balbieran, a senior economist at the University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P) School of Economics and vice president of the Research, Education and Institutional Development (REID) Foundation, warns that the Philippines faces a dual threat of skyrocketing transport and logistics costs combined with delays in infrastructure spending that could stall growth and push lower-income Filipinos toward economic distress.
“Our problem of excessive use of diesel that leads to pollution is now the least of our concerns,” Balbieran told the DAILY TRIBUNE.
“Our most important concern is that the price and cost of transport and logistics have gone so high that our economy might suddenly halt due to the lack of movement of people and goods, which creates spending and businesses across the country.”
A licensed environmental planner and infrastructure specialist with nearly two decades of experience in high-impact policy reforms, Balbieran brings a rare blend of academic rigor and practical expertise to the debate.
He holds a Master of Science in Industrial Economics and a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities from UA&P, where he serves as a faculty member.
At REID Foundation, he oversees research, education, and institutional development initiatives, often focusing on finance, public-private partnerships, and infrastructure policy. His background includes leadership roles in major projects such as the US Agency for International Development (USAID) DELIVER program and tourism road infrastructure under the Department of Tourism and the Department of Public Works and Highways.
GROUNDWORK for progress Ronilo Balbieran, vice president of the Research, Education and Institutional Development Foundation (left) and Phebean Belle Ramos-Lacuna, Public-Private Partnership Center director, break down the infrastructure buildup push of the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.Groundwork for progress Ronilo Balbieran, vice president of the Research, Education and Institutional Development Foundation (left) and Phebean Belle Ramos-Lacuna, Public-Private Partnership Center director, break down the infrastructure buildup push of the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.