SEAPPI and ACERD host Manila roundtable on Philippine selective taxation and the ProGRESS Bill

Manila, Philippines – 26 October 2026 – The Southeast Asia Public Policy Institute (SEAPPI) and the Ateneo Center for Economic Research and Development (ACERD) co-hosted The Price of ProGRESS: How Much Room to Maneuver for the Philippines’ Selective Taxation Agenda?, a policy roundtable held at Ateneo de Manila University. Part of SEAPPI’s regional series of roundtables on the design and implementation of selective taxes in Southeast Asia, the discussion examined the fiscal reform measures proposed under the ProGRESS Bill (Promoting Growth, Revenue, and Equity towards Socio-Economic Sustainability) and the wider role of excise taxes in the country’s fiscal policy.

Moderated by Dr. Alvin Ang of ACERD, the panel featured Dr. Renato Reside of the University of the Philippines, former Undersecretary of the Department of Finance; Bienvenido S. Oplas Jr., President of Minimal Government Thinkers; and Ed Ratcliffe, Executive Director of SEAPPI. Representatives of government agencies, the House of Representatives, business and civil society also took part.

Discussion centered on how selective taxes balance revenue generation with reduced consumption of harmful products, and on the timing of new excise measures amid inflationary pressures. Participants stressed the need for evidence-based tax design grounded in retail-level data and measured health outcomes. They also examined the risk that higher rates drive substitution toward illicit trade and weigh on MSMEs such as sari-sari stores. Alternative revenue measures were discussed, including improved VAT collection and a review of tax expenditures.

The discussions drew on SEAPPI’s interim discussion paper, Exploring Selective Taxation in Southeast Asia, which provides the foundation for the roundtable series and is available to download here. The series will continue with roundtables in Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia in the coming months.