Protest of Workers and Civil Society at the Department of Finance

Workers and civil society organizations urged Finance Secretary Frederick Go to champion wealth taxation and the taxation of extractives in UN Tax Convention during a protest on July 21, 2026 infront of the Department of Finance Headquarters in Roxas Boulevard, Manila.

Organized by the Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP) and Sanlakas in collaboration with the Asian Peoples’ Movement on Debt and Development (APMDD) the action included as speakers Atty. Luke Espiritu of BMP and Atty Aaron Pedrosa of Sanlakas. They said:

“Currently, global tax policies are dominated by the OECD, G7, and G20, which disproportionately favor the interests of the wealthiest nations and multinational corporations.” “To counter this, the Philippines voted with the majority of UN member states to create a United Nations Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation in November 2023.

The Philippines also voted for a terms of reference to the Convention that will, among other mandates, establish an inclusive, fair, transparent, efficient, equitable and effective international tax system for sustainable development, with a view to enhancing fairness of international tax rules.”

They urged Finance Secretary Go to uphold the mandate of the UN Tax Convention’s Terms of Reference. They presented proposals that ensure tax justice, with a primary focus on implementing Wealth Taxation and ensuring the Equitable Taxation of Multinational Enterprises, particularly in the highly profitable extractive industry.