Nearly 22M Filipinos unable to buy basic food in 2015

Nearly 22 million Filipinos or 21.6 percent of the population were not able to buy their basic food and other needs last year, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said on Thursday.

The poverty incidence among Filipinos in 2015 was estimated at 21.6 percent. This translates to 21.93 million Filipinos who cannot afford to buy their basic food and non-food needs, according to the Official Poverty Statistics of the Philippines the statistics office released to the media.

“As the Philippine Statistics Authority reported today, the country’s poverty incidence for the whole of 2015 declined significantly to 21.6 percent, from 25.2 percent in 2012 and 26.3 percent in 2009,” Reynaldo R. Cancio, director of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) National Policy and Planning Staff, said in a press conference.

“We are pleased to note that this is within the target set in the Philippine Development Plan, which is 20.0 to 23.0 percent for the year,” he added.

Family-level threshold

The PSA noted a family of five needed at least P9,064 per month to meet the basic daily requirements including food, clothing and shelter, a 15-percent increase from P7,890 in 2012.

This means that families with a monthly income below P9,064 were considered poor, which the PSA said was around 16.5 percent or 3.75 million families.

Despite the numbers, Cancio said the poverty incidence has decline to a “record-low ... “Among families, poverty incidence was also at a record-low of 16.5 percent in 2015, versus 19.7 percent in 2012 and 21.0 percent in 2006.

“This signifies improvements in the quality of living conditions, which may indicate that the government’s programs and projects, such as the conditional cash transfer program, have been gaining traction,” he added.

Regional data

At the regional level, the lowest poverty incidence among families was recorded at the National Capital Region (NCR), Central Luzon and Calabarzon.

However, the PSA said NCR also had the highest poverty threshold, meaning persons living in Metro Manila would need a higher income of least P25,007 to meet the basic needs.

“[NCR is] highly dense and people from the provinces come to Manila seeking better lives. But actually the income that they would get here is not sufficient for the high standard of living in NCR,” National Statistician Lisa Grace Bersales told reporters.

“It’s really about the fact that we have the highest concentration of people here that don’t have the skills, I believe, for them to have the income needed to meet NCR’s high cost of living,” she added.

On the other hand, Regions 11, 8, 6, 2, and 1 recorded a significant reduction in poverty incidence among families.

The PSA added that the most number of poor families were found at Regions 7, 5 and 12.

Regions 11, 6, 2 and 1 recorded significant reductions in poverty incidence among individual Filipinos.

Four regions, including Regions 2, 11, 1 and 5, posted significant declines in the number of poor population.

Poorest provinces

PSA data also showed eight provinces recorded the highest poverty incidence among families in 2012 and 201: Bukidnon, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Negros Oriental, Northern Samar, Sarangani, Sulu and Zamboanga del Norte.

Bersales said these provinces are the most vulnerable to natural and man-made shocks.

“The ARMM, [for example], is conflict-ridden – so, man-made shocks that really cause problems for families,” Bersales said.

However, Cancio said the shocks could be addressed through proper government policies. “Man-made shocks, mostly arising from armed conflict, can be addressed by the current efforts to attain lasting peace, along with deliberate strategies to bridge the development gap.

"Natural shocks, however, are mostly outside of human control, but individuals and communities can be made more resilient to the impact of the shocks. A mechanism to accelerate relief and then recovery and rehabilitation efforts following a calamity also needs to be put in place immediately,” he said.

Goals

The NEDA said more must be done to reduce poverty.

NEDA Deputy Director General Rosemarie Edillon said the issue of population growth must be addressed.

“Magkakaroon na tayo ng two-pronged strategy. One is ‘yung growth at tsaka ‘yung mas maigting na implementation ng RH (Reproductive Health) Law. I-a-address natin ‘yung issue ng population growth, and with the faster economic growth, mas dadami ang bilang ng makakaahon sa kahirapan,” Edillon said.

Cancio said the government should leverage on employment to sustain the momentum in reducing poverty.

“We need to significantly improve the business climate to create opportunities for quality, productive employment. Maintaining rapid economic growth that increases incomes of the poorest sector is a crucial factor in sustaining this momentum of reducing poverty,” he added

The NEDA is now working on the Philippine Development Plan for 2017-2022, which will be guided by the long-term vision of “AmBisyon Natin 2040,” a development plan aimed at giving Filipinos a “simple and comfortable life.”

President Rodrigo Duterte has recently signed Executive Order No. 5 approving and adopting the policy direction signified by AmBisyon Natin. — VDS, GMA News