MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte’s economic team is competent enough to push for programs and policies that would lift more Filipinos out of poverty, Malacañang said on Sunday.
Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said the Palace was confident that the country’s economic managers can introduce anti-poverty measures aimed at helping poor Filipino families.
“Marami na ring krisis na dumaan pero magaling ang economic managers natin. So siguro, alam na nila ang kanilang gagawin,” Panelo said.
He issued the statement after Social Weather Stations’ (SWS) Dec. 13 to 16 poll revealed that the number of Filipino households who consider themselves poor in the past three months rose to 13.4 million or 54 percent from the 10.3 million or 42 percent registered in September 2019.
SWS noted that the latest number of poor Filipino families was the “highest” since the 55 percent posted in September 2014.
Panelo downplayed the poll results, stressing that poverty incidence tend to fluctuate from time to time.
“‘Yung survey natin ‘di ba there was a time na umakyat, meron naman time na bumababa so talagang nagfa-fluctuate ang sentimiyento ng mga tao, depende sa kalakaran na nakakabalot sa kanila,” he added.
The current administration is targeting reducing poverty incidence to 14 percent by the end of Duterte’s term in 2022.
The Palace official, nevertheless, expressed confidence that poverty rate would go down, in the event that the government implements new projects that would create more job opportunities for Filipinos.
In December 2019, Socioeconomic Planning secretary Ernesto Pernia said it is “possible and quite reasonable” that poverty rate would further drop to “10 to 12 percent” by 2022.
Presidential Communications Operations Office secretary Martin Andanar also guaranteed in December last year that the government’s programs will further give “beneficial gains and advantages” to Filipinos this year. (PNA)
