PIDS issues clarification

We are writing to clarify a point in the recent opinion column of Mr. Andrew Masigan (The first step to a political reboot: Abolish Congress on Dec. 17, 2025) that references a supposed Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) article or study advocating for the abolition of Congress.

At the outset, we would like to thank you for looking to PIDS as a reliable source of policy research and analysis. We appreciate the trust placed in the institution and value the role of opinion writers in bringing policy issues to public discussion.

That said, we wish to respectfully clarify that the article’s central premise is based on an incorrect attribution. PIDS has no study, article or research output advocating the abolition of Congress or dissolution of the country’s bicameral legislature. No PIDS researcher, fellow or staff member has written anything to advance such a conclusion.

A similar misattribution appeared previously in a column by Mr. Boo Chanco and was subsequently corrected by him after clarification from PIDS. Unfortunately, the same attribution has reappeared in your article, now serving as a foundational reference for the broader argument presented.

While the policy issues and reform questions raised in your column are part of legitimate public discourse, attributing these positions to PIDS unintentionally places the institution in an advocacy role it does not occupy and risks misleading readers about the nature of PIDS’s work.

We would therefore appreciate it if this point could be clarified in relation to your column. Moving forward, we would also be glad to engage with you directly as a resource – whether to help verify references to PIDS research or to point you to relevant studies that may inform your analyses. – MELINDA T. QUIÑONES, department manager, Philippine Institute for Development Studies, Quezon City