MANILA— Workers and civil society organizations on Tuesday urged Finance Secretary Frederick Go to support wealth taxation and the taxation of extractive industries in the ongoing negotiations for the United Nations Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation.

Members of Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP) and Sanlakas, in collaboration with the Asian Peoples’ Movement on Debt and Development (APMDD), staged a protest on July 21, 2026, in front of the Department of Finance headquarters along Roxas Boulevard in Manila.

The protest featured speeches from BMP President Atty. Luke Espiritu and Sanlakas Secretary General Atty. Aaron Pedrosa.

The groups said the current global tax system is largely shaped by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the Group of Seven (G7), and the Group of 20 (G20), which they argued disproportionately favor wealthy countries and multinational corporations.

They noted that the Philippines joined the majority of United Nations member states in voting in November 2023 to establish the United Nations Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation. They also cited the country’s support for the convention’s terms of reference, which seek to establish “an inclusive, fair, transparent, efficient, equitable and effective international tax system for sustainable development.”

The protesters called on Go to uphold the mandate outlined in the convention’s terms of reference during the negotiations.

The groups also presented proposals aimed at advancing tax justice, including the implementation of wealth taxation and the equitable taxation of multinational enterprises, particularly those operating in the highly profitable extractive industry. (Text and photos by Jimmy Domingo for Ang Pahayagan)