Anti-poverty chief says government on track in fight vs poverty, hunger

Residents walk around their neighborhood in Muelle de Binondo, Manila on July 11, 2023. (STAR / Ernie Penaredondo) 

MANILA, Philippines – The country’s anti-poverty head said a recent research claiming more than a million Filipino families have overcome hunger and poverty can be attributed to Malacanang’s directives and programs to combat inflation.

National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) secretary Lope Santos III said the government “defied the odds” in terms of addressing hunger and poverty despite recent setbacks such as doom projections due to the El Niño phenomenon, as well as spikes in oil and rice prices.

Santos made the remark in reaction to the results of a recent survey conducted by OCTA Research group saying more than 1.3 million Filipino families said they overcame hunger, while one million families overcame poverty, from the period September 30 to October.

The NAPC chief also attributed to the 5.9% Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth in the third quarter as well as the taming of the inflation rate which slowed down to 4.9%.

“Against these odds, the opposite has happened: both poverty and hunger have dipped. There is no better validation of the direction the government has taken than these critical benchmarks,” Santos said.

“This success can also be attributed in part to the convergence of programs, projects and services of National Government Agencies, Local Government Units, the basic sectors, and private sector in addressing poverty and hunger,” he added.

Prior to the OCTA’s poll, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered stringent measures against rice smuggling and hoarding, and issued directives to the Department of Agriculture to strengthen rice production of Filipino farmers.

The President also ordered the National Food Authority to buy rice from Filipino farmers at a higher price, while selling it to local markets at a lower price.

He also suspended all collection of pass-through fees of vehicles carrying agricultural products, decreasing the costs of logistics to bring food from the farms down to the markets.

But Santos said “this good news should be met not with gloating but with greater determination to pursue the vision of this administration of food security and poverty alleviation.”

“These trajectories will only be sustained by the right policies which prioritize the welfare of the people,” he added.

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