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Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Arroyo blames overspending for Pinoys getting hungry
* President urges people to spend for most important needs
* Senator confirms rising incidence of hunger in metro
MANILA -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Tuesday told the poor to spend their income on basic needs instead of luxuries so that their families would have enough to eat.
Arroyo made the statement during the inauguration of the Colonel Jesus Lapus Memorial Sports Complex in Concepcion, Tarlac in reaction to the February 24 to 27 Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey, which showed that the degree of hunger remains at a record high of 19 percent.
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The hunger rate has been at 19 percent since November 2006.
Arroyo said the issue "cannot be totally attributed to poverty and lack of opportunity but also to the spending patterns of the people."
"I ask our people to spend on the basics first before the luxuries so our children will have enough to eat. All aspects must be dealt with so the whole citizenry can be healthy and productive," she said.
She said government takes reports on hunger incidence "with a sense of urgency" and wants to pinpoint specific areas where hunger is worst so that interventions can be mounted.
Arroyo said government is advancing agricultural production programs, broadening and speeding up the food distribution system and balancing out price disparities and fluctuations.
She said rolling stores have been deployed in poor communities, food prices in the markets checked, and food transport routes from farm to market ensured while the government's program to entice more investments and jobs will also lower hunger incidence.
"I shall continue to see to it that nobody is left behind in the social payback of economic growth, and fighting hunger shall be a constant priority in strategic and immediate levels," she said.
The February 24 to 27 survey of the SWS showed that the number of Filipino households that experienced hunger stayed at 34 million compared to November 2006.
It showed that hunger went up in Metro Manila (from 17.7 percent in November to 20.7 percent in February), and slightly rose in Luzon (from 17.7 percent to 18.3 percent) and in Mindanao (from 22.3 percent to 22.7 percent).
But it declined in the Visayas from 19 percent to 15.3 percent.
Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye, for his part, said President Arroyo was merely stating a fact when she cited the spending patterns of the public as a factor in the hunger statistics.
"The President was citing a reality and that there is a need to educate the people on properly utilizing their meager resources," said Bunye, who is also Presidential spokesman, in an ambush interview at the Clark Freeport.
He said people should learn to cut down on "unnecessary expenditures" like alcohol, cigarettes, and mobile phone loads.
He added that if one fails to send his or her children to school or buy milk, food or similar basic necessities, it should prompt the person to start saving or "marshalling resources very carefully."
Senator Manuel Villar, who is seeking reelection, said there is basis for the SWS findings saying the number of Filipinos who go hungry or have experienced hunger continues to increase.
He said as long as the economic gains do not trickle down to the common people, poverty, particularly hunger in the country, would continue to worsen. (JMR/CPB/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Bacolod. (March 21, 2007 issue)
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