Palace keeps eye on 14% poverty incidence target by 2022

MANILA, Philippines — As the number of poor Filipinos declined in the first half of 2018, Malacañang on Wednesday vowed to continue its work to achieve the 14 percent poverty incidence target by the end of President Rodrigo Duterte’s term in 2022.

In a press briefing, the Philippine Statistic Authority (PSA) reported that poverty incidence among Filipinos in the first half of 2018 was estimated at 21 percent, lower than the 27.6 percent recorded in the first half of 2015.

Poverty incidence is the proportion of the population living below the poverty line to the total Filipino population.

READ: PSA: Poverty falls 6.6% from 1st half of 2015 to 2018

“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,” Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a statement.

The Palace official noted that the figures highlighted how the Duterte administration is seriously dealing with the long-standing national issue of poverty.

Panelo mentioned access to free education, free medicine, and improved healthcare facilities, as well as providing institutional school feeding program for public school children, higher pension for seniors and veterans, salary increases for soldiers, policemen, firemen, teachers and government workers, free irrigation for farmers as among the key socioeconomic services done by the government for the marginalized sector. /ee