Commission bullish on cutting poverty to 14% by 2022

CEBU, Philippines — The National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) is looking into the possibility of reducing the poverty incidence to 14 percent or 14 million families from 16.1 percent or 16 million families in the next three years.

Lawyer Noel Felongco, NAPC secretary, discussed the commission’s Sambayanihan Serbisyong Sambayanan, a five-year development program aimed at alleviating and reducing the country’s poverty incidence, during yesterday’s civil society organizations’ consultations in Cebu.

The (SSS) program, which is one of the three banner programs devised by NAPC to alleviate and reduce poverty in the country, will be implemented within the year until 2023. The other two programs are the creation and roll out of the Provincial Consultative Body (PCB) and the Actionable Development Agenda for Poverty Transformation, or ADAPT 40/10/10.

The SSS program aims to provide informal settler families (ISF) and the urban poor with basic services and access to climate-responsive dwelling, livelihood and employment; develop innovative infrastructure and financing mechanisms to the rural poor; strengthen rural-urban agro-economic value chains; secure the health and general well-being of poor communities; enhance food security and the Mindanao Special Development Program.

“Magsugod na ni nga program this year until 2023, mo-spill over even after the Duterte administration,” he said.

He said the NAPC is tasked by President Rodrigo Duterte to reduce poverty incidence within five years, but said the commission would fulfill it in three years.

“Mao na ang target nga gihatag ni Presidente Duterte sulod sa lima ka tuig. But amoang paninguhaon nga in the next three years, matuman na na,” he said.

During the public consultations, civil society organizations from the urban poor, women, youth, farmers, fisherfolk, and indigenous people were asked to submit poverty alleviation proposals to NAPC

Felongco said the country’s poverty incidence was reduced to 16.1 percent last year from 22.2 percent in 2015.

He said the reduction was attributed to several programs, including the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), more employment opportunities, and termination of “endo” (end of contract).

He said the poverty incidence in Cebu is “high” owing to its “big population.”

“Daghan og pobre ang Cebu kay daku man pud ang iyang populasyon,” Felongco he said. (FREEMAN)