INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was urged Monday to immediately appoint a secretary and other officials to the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC)
According to former anti-poverty body director John Laña, Marcos’ naming of NAPC executives will help the agency come up with the National Anti-Poverty Action Agenda to accomplish the Philippines’ goal of being an upper-middle-class country by 2040.
He emphasized that NAPC did not have a secretary until now.
“Maawa po kayo mag-on board na po kayo, Sir, sa NAPC bilang Chairperson, ikaw po ‘yung Chairperson ng NAPC, mag-appoint na po kayo, Sir, ng bagong secretary, mag-appoint na rin po kayo, Sirm ng mga undersecretaries at mga directors.” Laña said in a public briefing.
(Please, Sir, get on board as the NAPC Chairperson; you are the Chairperson of NAPC, Sir, please appoint a new secretary and undersecretaries and directors.)
He also lamented how current programs of the NAPC have turned into “comedy” and “entertainment,” when it needs to come up with an agenda to address the country’s longtime poverty problems.
He claimed that there are still no improvements in the NAPC and to the “Ambisyon 2040” which is a project in the Philippine Development Plan of the National Economic Development Authority (Neda).
“Parang naging comedy na lang po itong ating ginagawa ngayon na dinadaan na lang po natin sa mga pa-sayaw-sayaw, pa-tiktok-tiktok, mga meeting-meeting ay paano po ba natin maabot ang ‘Ambisyon 2040’ na maging middle class ang karamihan ng ating mga mahihirap.” Laña added.
(It seems like what we are doing now has become a comedy that we just do things through dancing, TikTok, and meetings, but how can we reach the “Ambisyon 2040” to make the majority of our poor people become middle-class with that.)
The NAPC was formed in 1998, during the term of President Fidel V. Ramos. But Laña mentioned that the National Anti-Poverty Action Agenda was not reformulated after the Estrada administration.
.– Alyssa Joy Quevedo, trainee
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