RP has moderate chances of halving poverty

The Philippines has moderate chances of halving the number of its poor citizens by 2015 — one of eight targets it vowed to fulfill under its United Nations' Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) — although it could still meet other targets, including reducing the number of Filipinos whose income cannot provide the basic food requirements. The country, whose economic growth for the second quarter outpaced Indonesia and Vietnam, also continues to "lag in achieving universal primary education, improving maternal health, and reversing the spread of HIV/AIDs," the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said in a statement Saturday. The likelihood of reducing the total number of poor people to 22.65 percent of the population — as indicated in the Philippines' MDG targets — is "medium," NEDA said, citing data from the country's MDG report to be launched next Wednesday. Latest data on Philippine poverty show that nearly 33 percent of the population are unable to fulfill basic food, clothing, and shelter requirements, according to a 2006 National Statistical Coordination Board report. In June, a survey by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) said that Filipino families who "often" or "always" had nothing to eat during the past three months rose to 4.2 percent (780,000 families) in June from 2.8 percent (530,000 families) in March. However, the Philippines still has "a high probability of meeting most of the [MDG] targets, including reducing the number of Filipinos below subsistence threshold, or those whose income cannot provide the basic food requirements," said Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Cayetano Paderanga Jr. "From 24.3 percent in 1991, the percentage of Filipinos living below subsistence threshold was reduced to 14.6 percent in 2006, which is near the 2015 target of 12.15 percent," the NEDA chief said, citing official data from the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB). The country also has high probabilities of meeting the targets on reducing child mortality, promoting gender equality and empowerment of women, particularly on eliminating gender disparity in primary and secondary education, reversing the incidence of malaria and tuberculosis, and providing access to sanitary toilet facilities, the NEDA said. In a phone interview, Paderanga also told GMANews.TV that the "fastest way to solve poverty" is for the Philippines to post "high and sustained economic growth." The Philippines, whose economy expanded by 7.9 percent in the second quarter, is currently looking to invest in infrastructure to help promote tourism and agro-industrial sectors, Paderanga said. Building more farm to market roads, piers, airports, and warehouses "will spur tourism and help increase agricultural productivity," Paderanga added. Beneficial effects of promoting these two industries not only include job generation but also curbing rebellion in the countryside, he said. The government is also providing financial packages — called conditional cash transfers — for targeted communities that will ensure that poor kids stay in school. "The next generation of Filipinos should be flexible enough to feel comfortable in a globalized economy without any feeling of uncertainty," Paderanga said. The Philippines' Fourth Progress Report on the MDGs will be launched on Wednesday, presenting a comprehensive tracking of the country’s performance towards attaining the MDGs. The launch will be attended by President Benigno S. Aquino III, the keynote speaker. The report also contains recommended strategies for attaining the MDGs for the next five years, covering concerns such as financing, monitoring, localization, and advocacy. The last MDG progress report in the Philippines was released in 2007, while the first two reports were published in 2003 and 2005. The fourth progress report will then be presented to the UN High-Level Plenary Meeting on the MDGs in New York this month. —Robert JA Basilio Jr./JE, GMANews.TV