SONA 2013 GDP Growth: Ginhawa sa iilan, Kahirapan pa rin sa mamayan, Anyare?

‘Growth’ for whom?: The poor getting larger, poorer and miserable

Despite the boast of being Asia’s fastest growing economy, in spite of the stellar ratings given by the Big 3 rating firms, the most recent Philippine poverty figures show that in June 2012 the destitution was ironically worsening or at least “had no statistical difference to the poverty incidence in 2006.”

In this case, NSCB deserves praise that while it proudly announced in January the GDP hike, it likewise humbly admitted in April that poverty rate was barely changed to the chagrin of some top officials in the Aquino government.
Although deemed by independent studies as yet “conservative” or “trimmed down,” the official data on “poor” people, issued by NSCB last April 23, bared that this was practically unchanged from 28.8 percent of the population in 2006 to 27.9 percent in 2012 (or 23.4 percent of total families to 22.3 percent in the same period).

Hence, in June 2012 about 28 of 100 Philippine families or estimated at over 25 million Filipinos were considered “poor” or barely living on P7,821 a monthly income (for a family of five), which includes P5,458 for basic food needs alone. Still below this poverty threshold are those living in “extreme poverty,” which remained virtually unchanged also from 14.2 percent of the population in 2006 to 13.4 percent in 2012 (or 10.8 percent of families to 10.0 percent in the same period).

Moreover, the United Nations (UN) reported last October that hardly three years into the deadline of completing the seven Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the Philippines failed in four, including eradicating extreme poverty as well as achieving universal primary education, reducing child mortality and sustaining maternal health.