Palace on poverty figures: Give us 3 more years for inclusive growth

After government data showed that poverty levels in the Philippines have remained unchanged since 2006, Malacañang on Tuesday asked Filipinos to give the Aquino administration three more years to promote inclusive growth in the country.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigal Valte said the government has already identified “priority areas” to alleviate poverty and generate jobs during the President’s remaining years in office.

“It [Inclusive growth] certainly will not happen overnight, alam naman natin ‘yan. We have three more years to keep pushing on that front because everybody wants to see those numbers go down,” Valte said at a press briefing on Tuesday afternoon.

She added that the government, through the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), is implementing programs to fight poverty, such as the conditional cash transfer program.

“Apart from ‘yung CCT natin, meron pa hong ibang initiatives ‘yung DSWD, but, of course, that is something that has to be balanced with the resources that we have now,” she said.

Earlier in the day, the National Statistical Coordination Board revealed that poverty incidence in the country during the first half of 2012 was at 27.9 percent—a slight improvement from 2009’s 28.6 percent.

The figure, however, had no statistical difference to the poverty incidence in 2006, which was recorded at 28.8 percent.

The announcement of the latest poverty figures came on the heels of record performance by the local stock market, which posted a 7,120.48 on Monday afternoon.

Valte further said that the Aquino government will try its best to translate the “renewed business confidence” on the Philippine economy to jobs for Filipinos.

“Inaasahan po natin ay lalo pong dumami ‘yung mga trabaho at mas marami po tayong mga kababayan na makahanap ng mga ganitong trabaho,” she said.

According to latest government figures, the unemployment rate stands at 6.8 percent.

Some analysts meanwhile said that the lack of quality employment despite the economy’s robust 6.6-percent growth last year poses a major challenge to the Aquino administration. — BM, GMA News