‘Government addressing poverty, hunger’

The government has taken steps to stave off hunger and poverty in the disadvantaged sectors by providing a rice subsidy to copra farmers in coconut-producing provinces, President Arroyo said yesterday.

The President said her decision last month to implement the rice subsidy to 1,000 copra farmers actually anticipated the growing incidence of poverty and hunger as reflected in a first quarter survey.

"I think this may have something to do with the problem of the copra industry because there is a worldwide glut of vegetable oils," she said, following the release of results of a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey that showed poverty incidence was up three points to 59 percent in the first quarter.

The same survey said the poverty incidence was highest in the Visayas at 67 percent. The region is where most of the copra farmers are from.

"So it’s not only now that this survey has come out that we’re addressing this. We saw this as soon as we came in, and the Department of Agriculture (DA) has been putting together a program of rice subsidy and secondary livelihood programs as emergency measure for copra farmers," she said.

The President pointed out her two-month old administration decided to come out with the rice subsidy program, implemented starting last month by the DA, precisely in anticipation of, and not a reaction to, the adverse impact of the lowering of copra prices in the world market.

The SWS survey, conducted March 5-18, also said the hunger incidence was at a record high 16 percent.

Mrs. Arroyo explained in her press conference that 1,000 people in the coconut industry who benefited from this rice subsidy program will hopefully be saved from hunger and extreme poverty when the time comes for the next survey.

"I think the one million in the copra industry are enough to be reflected in the survey. I think that’s them because it says it’s in the Visayas, and the Visayas is strong in copra. So I think that might be it," she said.

"But we have already been addressing that. I hope by the end of April, they will be feeling less hungry," she added.

The President was thankful for the results of another survey, this time by Pulse Asia Inc., that showed her approval rating jumping 44 points to 48 percent for the first quarter. – Marichu Villanueva