Execs claiming monthly budget of P10K enough for family of 5 dared to live on P71 daily

MANILA, Philippines — Government officials who claim that a family of five could get by on a P10,727 budget per month should try living on a P71 per day budget, House Deputy Minority leader and Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate said Friday.

The opposition lawmaker issued the challenge after Philippine Statistics Authority Assistant (PSA) Secretary Rosalinda Bautista on Wednesday said P10,727 is the minimum income that a family of five needs for basic food and non-food items. Bautista added that a P7, 528 average monthly budget for food is sufficient for a family of five.

These claims, Zarate said, are being used by officials to justify the present national minimum wage in the country.

“Subukan kayang mabuhay ng mga economic managers ng P71/ araw,” added the Davao-based solon in a statement, as he renewed his call for the passage of House Bill No. 246 which seeks a P750 national minimum wage and House Bill No. 247 which seeks a P16,000 minimum pay for government employees.

(Why don’t the economic managers try living on a P71 per day budget.)

“Hirap na hirap na ang mamamayan sa taas ng bilihin, mataas na buwis, at baba ng sahod tapos ilalabas pa ang ganitong pahayag na nakakainsulto sa mamayan,” he added.

(These statements are an insult to our countrymen who have long been suffering from high prices of goods, and taxes and low salary.)

Bayan Muna Rep. Ferdinand Gaite meanwhile doubted the recent PSA report on the falling poverty incidence rate in the country.”In what alternative universe is this poverty threshold based from?” asked the congressman, explaining that the report was a “gross underestimation of the real state of Philippine poverty.”

“Let’s be clear, reducing poverty by simply reducing the amount of the standard of living is not reducing poverty, it’s faking poverty statistics,” he added.

National Statistician Claire Dennis Mapa earlier said the poverty rate declined from 23.3 percent in 2015 to 16.6 percent in 2018, which translated to 17.6 million poor Filipinos as of last year.

Edited by MUF