Binay slams gov’t for failing to address poverty in Northern Samar

CATARMAN, Northern Samar—Vice President Jejomar Binay on Friday criticized the current administration for failing to curb the poverty in this province, one of the most impoverished in the country.

During his speech at a public park here, Binay said poverty remains persistent in this province due to the government’s failure to lead the country.

“Paano naman kayo dito sa Northern Samar? Eh kayo ang isa sa mga pinakamahirap na lalawigan sa buong bansa,” Binay said.

(How about you here in Northern Samar? It is one of the poorest provinces in the entire country.)

According to poverty incidence, Northern Samar is one of the top 10 poorest provinces in the country.

“Ito ang klase ng gobyerno na ating hinaharap. Ito ang klase ng gobyernong hindi marunong mamuno,” Binay said.

(This is the kind of government we are facing. This is the kind of government which doesn’t know how to lead.)

Earlier in the day, Quicho in an interview in Calbayog said the vice president would address poverty by providing subsidy to farmers and fisherfolk and removing the irrigation fees on farmers.

Quicho said Binay knows the plight of the poor because he grew up in poverty when he was young.

“Sa pag-iikot natin sa Leyte at Samar, kahirapan po ay dama ng ating kababayan kaya ito talaga ang problemang dapat solusyunan, ang kahirapan,” Quicho said.

(In our sorties in Leyte and Samar, most felt is poverty of our common folks, a problem that needed to be solved.)

Binay went on a motorcade in the Eastern Visayas region since Wednesday. He covered Tacloban, Leyte, Eastern Samar, and Northern Samar.

According to figures from the Philippine Statistics Authority, Eastern Visayas is the second poorest region, with 47.3 percent poverty incidence based on population in the first semester of 2015, only next to the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao which is the poorest region with a 59 percent poverty incidence.

Northern Samar is the poorest province in Eastern Samar with 61.6 percent of its population poor, followed by Eastern Samar with 50 percent, Western Samar with 49.5 percent, Leyte with 46.7 percent, Southern Leyte with 36.6 percent and Biliran with 18.3 percent. RAM/TVJ

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