While his “war on drugs” is in a period of review, President Rodrigo Duterte has a new target: To reduce poverty incidence by 25 percent in the next couple of years.
This, according to the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC), which in a statement, quoted Duterte as setting the aim “to reduce poverty by 25 percent in three years” during the NAPC en banc assembly in Malacañang last January 30.
In its latest poverty data released in October 2016, the Philippine Statistics Authority said poverty incidence in the country dropped to 21.6 percent in 2015, though it still translated to 21.93 million Filipinos who couldn’t afford to buy basic food and nonfood items.
The NAPC quoted Duterte as mulling that “a percentage of the Pagcor (Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation) income from online gaming will be given to NAPC, to help the poor directly.”
NAPC lead convenor Liza Maza welcomed the President’s plans, saying that with Pagcor funds, the NAPC will be able to “implement with dispatch pro-poor programs” anchored on the provision of 10 basic needs, namely food, water, shelter, education, healthcare, work, social protection, healthy environment, and peace and participation. CDG