Poverty incidence in the Philippines dropped in the first quarter of 2018 according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
The number of poor families in the country declined from 22.2% in 2015 to 16.1% in 2018 during the same period.
For Filipino individuals, the poverty incidence is also down by 21% in the first half of 2018 compared with the 27.6% recorded in the same period of 2015.
According to the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) the decline is due to sustained economic growth.
NEDA Officer-in-Charge Adoracion Navarro said in a statement said that the “critical and broad-based reforms and investments have translated to employment generation and social protection.”
“We like to highlight the increase in income of Filipino households as well as employment shifts to the industry and service sectors from agriculture,” Navarro added.
The Duterte administration, meanwhile, welcomed the said report. According to Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo, the decline in the poverty incidence is the fruit of the government’s campaign against poverty.
The government will also continue its campaign until it reaches its target of 14% poverty incidence or lower by the end of President Rodrigo Duterte’s term.
“As we commend the responsible departments and agencies for doing their respective jobs with commitment and fervor, we will not rest but rather continue to work hard to achieve our target of decreasing poverty incidence to 14%, or even better, by the end of PRRD’s term in 2022 and fulfill the President’s vision of providing a comfortable life for each and every Filipino,” he said.—Aileen Cerrudo (with reports from Rosalie Coz)
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