Palace says it is addressing hunger, poverty problems

from The Sun Star

MALACANANG on Wednesday defended its anti-hunger and anti-poverty program following the new record high hunger incidence of 19 percent saying it is not focusing on quick fixes but on a comprehensive and long-term solution to the hunger problem.

The Nov. 24-29 survey of the Social Weather Stations (SWS) that about 3.3 million Filipinos or 19 percent have experienced having nothing to eat at least once in the last 3 months, compared to 16.9 percent in September.

The SWS survey also showed that 52 percent of families reported themselves as poor in general and 40 percent said they were poor in terms of food.

Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said government has not denied that many Filipinos are poor, but he said the Arroyo administration has lifted up 5.5 million Filipinos from poverty for the past five years.

Bunye said hunger could only be beaten by a comprehensive war against poverty "using the tools of economic reform and social payback."

"Our focus is not on a quick fix but in laying down a strong economic foundation to give the poor more opportunities to work and feed themselves," Bunye said in a statement.

"Ours is a long-term solution based on total human security for every Filipino family in terms of food, education, shelter, health, and law and order - under an umbrella of long-term political and economic stability," he said.

He said government also directly intervenes during calamities, where severe deprivation could be found.

He said government has started moving on its goal to cut severe hunger by at least 400,000 families within a year.

Planning Secretary Romulo Neri, in a radio interview, criticized the SWS, saying the reason for the increased hunger in Metro Manila was not clearly shown. He said while SWS is reliable and the intention is good, its survey questions are subjective.

Neri said government's own survey showed a "slight improvement" in the hunger problem. He said the National Statistics Office (NSO) survey showed the hunger incidence rate at only 10 to 12 percent.

He said the Arroyo administration working on an anti-hunger strategy to solve hunger problems on the orders of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.