Poverty incidence in Central Visayas drops to 13%

CEBU, Philippines — The proportion of poor Filipinos, or those not earning enough to meet basic food and non-food needs, in Central Visayas dropped significantly in 2018, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported yesterday.

The increase was attributed to the improvements in the quality of employment in the past three years since the last poverty survey in 2015.

“The increase was largely because of the increase in the wage of workers in the region compared to the increase in the prices of goods and basic commodities,” said PSA assistant national statistician Wilma Guillen.

The increase of the income in households also helped bring down the poverty line.

Guillen said PSA recorded a hundred percent hike in the number of households whose income has increased.

The region’s poverty incidence fell to 13.2 percent in 2018 or a drop of over 11 percent compared to 2015’s 24.7 percent.

PSA-7 Regional Director Ariel Florendo said this means there are 242,000 individuals in the region who do not have incomes that meet the poverty threshold during this period, or the minimum amount needed to meet the basic food and non-food requirements of a family of five.

In 2015, the agency recorded 420,000 individuals suffering from poverty.

A family of five needs no less than P10,705 monthly on the average. This is the minimum income needed to satisfy basic food and non-food needs in 2018.

“A household with five members must have an income of not less than P10,705 so that it won’t be classified as poor,” said Guillen.

Guillen said the result of PSA survey was based on the bundle of foods that Filipinos usually consume, their price and the total income of a household.

National Economic Development Authority (NEDA)-7 Regional Director Efen Carreon said the poverty reduction affirmed the region’s economic growth.

He said the regional economy increased by 7.6 percent in 2018.

Aside from the increase in income, the implementation of social protection programs, such as the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), social pension, and Kalahi-CIDSS, among others contributed to poverty reduction in the region, said Carreon.

He said the ease in doing business in the region and the free education in state and local universities and colleges also helped in improving the residents’ living conditions.

“All of these were contributory factors in improving the well-being of a family,” he said.  BANAT NEWS, KQD, (FREEMAN)