Filipinos remain poor despite government’s boasting of economic growth, says group

August 18, 2024 , 05:43 PM

By Rodolfo Dacleson II

(August 18, 2024) – A labor group asserted on Sunday that poverty has persisted among Filipinos despite the economic growth touted by Pres. Bongbong Marcos Jr. and his officials.

Partido Manggagawa refuted the claims of Department of Finance undersecretary Domini Velasquez that the administration is on track to reduce the poverty rate to 9% by the end of Marcos’ presidency in 2028.

“The phenomenon of Filipinos going hungry persists despite 30 years of economic growth. Sa mga komunidad, madami ang gutom na Pilipino o ‘GNP.’ This is the ‘GNP’ that we see is increasing,” said Partido Manggagawa secretary general Judy Ann Miranda in a media release.

Last June, a survey by the Social Weather Stations revealed that 16 million Filipino families considered themselves poor.

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the country’s gross domestic product expanded by 5.7% in the first quarter of the year.

Miranda lamented the government’s use of a “depressed” threshold just to brag about the low poverty incidence, adding that the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) found it difficult to defend.

“What are the planned government interventions so that poverty is reduced to below 10% by the end of President Bongbong Marcos Jr.’s administration? If this forecast is merely based on continued economic growth, this prediction is misguided as it assumes that everyone benefits from a rise in gross national product,” said Miranda. “Trickle-down economics is a scam.”

NEDA drew flak for claiming that a family of five can survive with a monthly food income of P9,600 or P64 a day per person. This translates to P21 per meal.

Independent think tank IBON Foundation estimated that a family of five in the National Capital Region alone must have at least P26,000 monthly or P1,200 per day for a “decent living.”

Inflation rose to 4.4% in July from 3.7% in June, according to the PSA.

Miranda stressed that workers haven’t benefited from the increase in the country’s gross national product, saying the capital-labor share of incomes is still “skewed.”

“Data provided by former finance undersecretary Karl Chua already revealed that the economy doubled from 2001 to 2016 and labor productivity increased by half yet real wages remained flat,” said Miranda.

(PM)

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