Malacañang to heed ADB advice on expanding middle class

Malacañang on Monday acknowledged a warning made by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and said that it would focus its economic development program on building and expanding the country’s middle-class. “The reality is we have not really expanded our middle class considerably. And this doesn’t compare favorably with the records of our neighboring countries in Asean,” Presidential Communications Operations Secretary Herminio Coloma said.

Asean, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, groups the Philippines, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

According to a study made by the Manila-based ADB, middle-class Filipino families with large family sizes are at risk of falling into poverty if the government fails to create policies that improve wages, education and healthcare.

The study advised the Aquino administration to expand the middle class to achieve sustainable economic growth.

Coloma said that it is a priority of the Aquino administration to expand opportunities for all Filipinos to improve their lives.

He added that creating more high-paying jobs, reforming the educational system and enhancing healthcare services—recommendations made by the ADB—are the top three priorities of the administration. –CRIS G. ODRONIA, Manila Times