GMA’s good news: Fewer Pinoys think they are poor

An embattled President Arroyo strived to deliver some good news last night, citing a survey showing a drop in the number of Filipinos thinking they were poor.

She also reported on the country’s budget surplus for the last three months, the development of farmland, the increase in foreign direct investments, and the improved tourism industry as well as the opening of more small and medium enterprises through micro-financing.

In a roundtable discussion with her officials aired over the state-run television station NBN-4 at around 6 p.m., the President cited the lower unemployment rate and reduced costs to business resulting from cuts in bureaucratic red tape.

The President also vowed to continue with her development programs and enforce the rule of law so as not to discourage investments from coming in.

She said political troubles must be lessened so the government could focus on creating jobs for the people. She noted that only through job generation could people climb out of poverty.

The President said a recent Social Weather Stations survey showed that the number of Filipinos who considered themselves poor actually dropped from 57 percent in May to 49 percent in August.

She said this was significant and consistent with the recent 4.8 percent growth in gross domestic product (GDP) despite rising oil prices.

GDP represents the total value of goods and services produced by the domestic economy. This does not include remittances from overseas Filipino workers and export earnings.

"This performance is actually better than that of Malaysia, South Korea and Taiwan," Mrs. Arroyo said.

The President said revenue collection agencies exceeded their targets and the poorest of the barangays in different regions benefited from these.

Acting Social Welfare and Development Secretary Luwalhati Pablo said her department, through the Kabalikat Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS), covered 42 provinces where more than 1,000 barangays benefited from the government’s flagship poverty alleviation project.

KALAHI-CIDSS is a community-driven development project where decision-making resides in the community. 

The Department of Agriculture, on the other hand, reported that half a million hectares of land have been developed for agriculture. As part of the President’s program to create more jobs, the DA was tasked to develop agribusiness and two million hectares of land.

People’s Credit and Finance Corp. (PCFC) president and chief executive officer Edgar Generoso said more than two million households had benefit from the government’s microfinance loans and P10 billion in funds had been distributed.