CEBU CITY -- Poverty incidence in the Philippines has remained unchanged despite the State’s anti-poverty initiatives under President Benigno Aquino III’s administration.
Poverty incidence is the proportion of people below the poverty line to the total population.
National Statistics Office (NSO) Cebu district officer Gil Melchor Rubia cited the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) report saying that poverty incidence among population during the first semester of 2012 was estimated at 27.9 percent.
Rubia added that comparing this with the 2006 and 2009 first semester figures estimated at 28.8 percent and 28.6 percent, respectively, poverty remained unchanged.
Rubia was among the guests of Sun.Star Sona Special’s online forum on poverty on Wednesday.
Another guest, Erlinda Parame, Regional Convergence coordinator of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Cebu, also admitted that poverty incidence remains in a plateau despite the government’s programs to alleviate poverty.
The State’s anti-poverty programs include the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP), and the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan–Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services Program/National Community Driven Development Program (Kalahi-CIDSS/NCDDP).
Lydon Suico, acting provincial statistician of the NSO-Cebu, said there are indicators of poverty, and they are using these in measuring these indicators in conducting the Family and Expenditure and Income Survey (FEIS) among households.
Parame said some of the indicators are the family’s capacity to own a house, to send children to school, to provide food three times a day, and to have income generating livelihood, among others.
Noel Rafols, information officer of the NSO-Central Visayas, also said that their office is only tasked to gather data from respondents, and they send the data to NSCB for interpretation.
With this, Rafols urged the people to cooperate in the survey to make sure the right data are gathered. These data are used as basis of third party agencies, like DSWD, in devising anti-poverty strategies. Legislators also used them as one of the bases in drafting policies.
Parame encouraged beneficiaries of the State’s programs to maximize the benefits they receive and work on sustaining themselves even after the government’s support ends.
She added that her office is also partnering with other government agencies like the Department of Health and Department of Education, to help monitor the beneficiaries of the State’s anti-poverty programs.
Wednesday’s discussion was part of Sun.Star website’s State of the Nation Address (Sona) coverage.
Aquino's Sona on Monday is the 74th in Philippine history and the 27th of the Fifth Republic.
Participants on social media also sent their questions through Sun.Star Philippine News’ Facebook poll and @sunstaronline on Twitter.
Replay of the discussion can still be viewed on Sun.Star’s Noynoy Aquino special page. (SBG/JAC/Sunnex)