Filipino workers and civil society groups trooped to the Department of Finance (DOF) on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, urging Finance Secretary Frederick Go to champion wealth taxation and the taxation of extractive industries in the upcoming United Nations Tax Convention.

The mobilization was organized by Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP) and Sanlakas, in collaboration with the Asian Peoples’ Movement on Debt and Development (APMDD).
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The groups said global tax policy is currently dominated by the OECD, G7 and G20, which disproportionately favor the wealthiest nations and multinational corporations.

To counter this, the Philippines voted with the majority of UN member states in November 2023 to create a UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation.

The country also supported terms of reference that seek to establish an inclusive, fair, transparent, efficient, equitable and effective international tax system for sustainable development, according to the groups.

During the protest action, organizers presented proposals that focus on tax justice, particularly the implementation of wealth taxation and ensuring the equitable taxation of multinational enterprises in the highly profitable extractive industry.

They urged the DOF to uphold the mandate of the UN Tax Convention’s Terms of Reference in upcoming negotiations. |Photos by MATA: Asia Press Photo