Anti-poverty body urges Filipinos to help gov’t poverty alleviation programs

The National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) on Tuesday called on the public to help government programs alleviate the poverty in the country.

NAPC secretary and lead convenor Lope Santos III said even small contributions are helpful in the country’s fight against poverty.

“Nais namin manawagan sa ating mga kababayan na lumahok sa pagsugpo ng kahirapan. Ano man ang ating kalagayan sa buhay maging produktibo. Sa ating kanya-kanyang ginagawa nasa pambansang pamahalaan nasa mga local government, pribadong sektor, kalayunan o kabundukan, nasa pabrika o kalungsuran, sa mga nasa ibayong dagat at international organization samasama po tayong lahat,” Santos said at the PTV public briefing.

(We call on our fellow Filipinos to participate in reducing poverty. Whatever our condition in life, we should be productive in our work. Our national government, local government, private sector, fellow Filipinos residing in the mountains, in the factory or in the city, as well as those in overseas and international organizations, we are all in this together.)

“Ang maliliit nating contribution ay may kabuluhan sa paglaban sa kahirapan. Ang laban na ito ay laban at pagtutulungan ng lahat at sana ang maunlad na Pilipinas ay para sa lahat ng Pilipino,” he added.

(Our small contributions are meaningful in the fight against poverty. This fight is everyone's fight and I hope we cooperate for a prosperous Philippines for all Filipinos.)

Santos also said President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s order to the agency was to study the current programs of the government and to ask all agencies to fulfill his promise to uplift the economic condition of the Filipinos.

The NAPC secretary also reiterated the government's promise to reduce the poverty rate from 18.1% to 9% by 2028.

He said the strategies and key development programs to achieve this goal were already “spelled out” in the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028.

The 9% targeted poverty rate is part of the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028, which sets the government’s eight-point program and contains targets and actionable plans that will help the country pursue a greener economy and more sustainable, affordable and livable residential areas in the next six years.

National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Arsenio Balisacan earlier said the 9% goal by 2028 could be accomplished by bringing growth to a higher level, "enhancing the quality of growth through the creation of quality jobs and improving the social protection system, among others.”

“Mayroong kanya-kanyang programa na nakaatang doon sa ating na?ional government agencies na ipapatupad nakalagay sa ating Philippine Development Plan, ang mga key strategies and mga focus sa anti-poverty programs, sabi nga kanina ito ay whole of government  and whole of nationwide approach kagaya ng pinagusapan natin together with the NEDA,” Santos said.

(We have our own programs that are assigned to our national government agencies that will be implemented in our Philippine Development Plan with the key strategies and focuses on anti-poverty programs. It was said earlier that this is a whole of government and whole nationwide approach, as we discussed together with the NEDA.)

Lope also said the NAPC helped in empowering the participation of the basic sectors in the country in policy formulation for the social reform agenda to alleviate poverty in the country.

“Masasasabi natin ang NAPC ay napatingkad nito ang participation ng basic sectors in all government levels, national, sectoral, local, and even international engagement which means that NAPC helped empowered the participation of our basic sectors sa policy formulation at program monitoring which is the very essence of the social reform agenda,” he said.

(We can say that NAPC highlighted the participation of basic sectors in all government levels, national, sectoral, local, and even international engagement which means that NAPC helped empower the participation of our basic sectors in policy formulation and program monitoring which is the very essence of the social reform agenda.)

“And of course yung coordination, harmonization, and monitoring ng mga programa ng ating  national government and local government units,” he added.

(And of course the coordination, harmonization, and monitoring of the programs of our national government and local government units.)

The country's poverty incidence was at 18.1% in 2021, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority. This translates to 19.99 million poor Filipinos. — BM, GMA Integrated News