In light of the Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showing that almost half of Filipino families consider themselves poor, the Marcos administration is turning to programs like the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) and the nationwide food stamp scheme to alleviate poverty levels.
Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan pointed to the series of typhoons that ravaged the country as one of the factors contributing to the 48 percent of Filipinos who self-identified as poor in the September survey conducted by SWS.
According to weather bulletins published on the Facebook page of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, the country experienced the onslaught of six typhoons from June to September, including “Chedeng,” “Egay,” “Falcon,” “Goring,” “Hanna,” and “Jenny,” as well as Tropical Storm “Dodong” and Tropical Depression “Ineng.”
In response to the survey results, the Presidential Communications Office quoted Balisacan as stating, “We note that the SWS September survey was conducted after a series of typhoons hit the country, which also affected food prices and directly impacted families who lacked the means to cope with the increase in prices.”
Balisacan, who also serves as the director general of the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda), further explained, “As we noted earlier, poverty measures based on respondents’ perceptions are sensitive to inflation, particularly for essential commodities. Food inflation in September was higher than in June this year due to the supply disruptions.”
With these challenges in mind, the government believes that implementing programs like 4Ps and the food stamp scheme will help alleviate the burden of poverty faced by Filipino families across the nation.
Source: PhilNews24 | November 3, 2023
