Govt reviews anti-poverty programs after SWS survey

from ABS CBN Interactive

The National Anti-Poverty Commission on Wednesday said it is reviewing some of its anti-poverty programs after the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showed hunger and poverty incidence reached record highs in the fourth quarter.

NAPC Chairman Domingo Panganiban said the government is bent on alleviating poverty by giving jobs or possible livelihood to people.

"The basic issue is not feeding [the people] but how would the government help them procure materials for them to be productive," he told ANC.

He said the government is working with local government officials in helping the poorest of the poor.

Economic Planning Secretary Romulo Neri said results of the latest SWS survey ran counter to economic trends this month, citing increases in overseas workers' remittances and Christmas season spending and a decrease in inflation and pump prices.

He said answers to survey questions are dependent on the respondents' moods. "So the reliability of the range is not very high," he told DZMM.

He added that the survey also failed to pinpoint the exact causes of hunger. He said the government has a two-pronged approach to battle poverty and hunger including lowering poverty levels and improving food distribution.

The SWS survey conducted from November 24-29 said the proportion of families experiencing involuntary hunger at least once in the past three months reached a new record-high of 19 percent. The result is 2.1 percent higher compared to the previous record-high incidence of household hunger of 16.9 percent recorded in the surveys in March and September.

The survey also said that 40 percent of Filipino households consider themselves as poor based on the type of food their family eats. It also said that 27 percent put themselves on the borderline and 32 percent consider themselves as “not food poor.”

SWS President Mahar Mangahas said the most significant finding in the latest survey is the increase in hunger in Metro Manila, from 12.8 percent in September to 17.7 percent in November. Hunger also rose by three points in the rest of Luzon, from 14.7 percent in September to 17.7 percent in November.

He said government officials should review inflation and food distribution in these areas during the past quarter. "They have to correlate what was happening over time in these areas," he said.