PH to miss Millennium Devt Goal on poverty

MANILA, Philippines – The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) says recent disasters that hit the country make it impossible to reduce poverty, based on targets set in the Millennium Development Goals of the United Nations.

Twenty-seven percent of the population is currently considered poor. The Philippines was aiming to lower this to 17 percent by next year.

“We also aim to reduce income poverty to 18 to 20 percent by 2016, which admittedly, will fall short of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) target of 17 percent by 2015. This new target takes into consideration the slow response of poverty to economic growth beginning 2006 and the setback in 2013 due to the wide-scale destruction resulting from natural and man-made disasters,” Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said.

The Department of Social Work and Development (DSWD) says the number of families living below the poverty level in Eastern Visayas climbed to 280,000 from 100,000 after the onslaught of super typhoon “Yolanda”.

“Hindi lang kakayahan ng gobyerno ang factor. Bahagi rin talaga ang climate change. Nasa early recovery pa rin tayo,” DSWD Secretary Dinky Soliman said. – ANC