Gov’t urged to prioritize fight vs poverty in ’06 agenda

In the wake of a recent survey indicating the highest recorded poverty incidence in the country, the government was urged yesterday to put the fight against this social menace at the core of its agenda this year.

The worldwide alliance Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP) said poverty alleviation should be prioritized to abate growing unrest among the poor.

The group’s call came in response to President Arroyo’s pronouncements that her 2006 plan will focus on "building a stronger economy, combating destabilization and terrorism and pushing for political reforms through Charter change."

"A prolonged and frightening scenario of empty stomachs, lack of jobs, and little access to quality education and health services, has led to widespread social unrest and dissatisfaction among the poor," said Marivic Raquiza, GCAP-Philippines coordinator.

According to a survey by Social Weather Stations for the last quarter of 2005, about 17 percent of Filipinos said they went hungry or had nothing to eat at least once over a period of three months.

The rate is said to be the highest recorded poverty incidence since the independent pollster was established in the 80s.

The SWS survey also showed that hunger in Mindanao, Metro Manila and the Visayas has worsened, the GCAP noted. Only in Luzon did the hunger level decline, they added.

Prof. Leonor Briones, convenor of Social Watch-Philippines and a member of GCAP, said the incidence of hunger is being exacerbated by high levels of unemployment and compounded by a runaway population growth rate.

Salil Shetty, the United Nations Director for the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) campaign, said the same big issues on poverty hound the country today despite the high ratings that the Philippine government gave itself in its second progress report on the MDG last year.

Shetty observed there is a good chance that the Philippines might not meet its goals on child malnutrition, hunger and maternal mortality — all of which are specific targets under the MDG that must be achieved by 2015.

"Issues on child malnutrition, hunger and maternal mortality might be difficult for the Philippines to achieve by 2015," Shetty told reporters during his brief visit in the country last week.

"Poverty is highly concentrated in (certain areas) of the Philippines. The Philippines needs a focused effort, it requires massive scaling up towards targeted areas," he added.

Doubts

GCAP-Philippines expressed doubt on the sincerity and capacity of the government to push through with its avowed plan to release P35 billion to boost the economy — P3.5 billion of which will go to food subsidy and pro-poor needs.

The group cited the government’s prevailing fiscal problem that has largely been attributed to huge debt servicing, limited services, and government’s priority to finance efforts to counter destabilization and supposed terrorist threats.

Shetty pointed out that poverty eradication is a "primary responsibility with the government" and that increased resources and better management of them are needed to address this.

He stressed that governments should prioritize investments to the social sector in order to effectively achieve the MDG.

"The average doesn’t show the real picture especially when the distribution of resources (is) unequal," Shetty said.

The government mostly gave itself medium to high ratings in its second progress report on the MDG last year.

The Philippines rated itself "high" on the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, promotion of gender equality and empowerment of women, reduction of child mortality, malaria morbidity rate, and environmental sustainability.

It gave "medium" ratings on the improvement of maternal health, "medium" and "low" on the achievement of a universal primary education; and "medium" and "high" on the accessibility to reproductive health services.

Shetty advised the government to do away with the "trickle down effect type of general program" on poverty alleviation since it is proven to have not worked.

He said the government should primarily deal with agriculture, land reform and education issues "otherwise, poverty will not be solved."

"The MDG goes beyond political party lines because the commitment to the MDF is by government," Shetty pointed out.

"Unless there is good governance… clear governance, a government that is accountable to the people, the MDF cannot be achieved (and) poverty will remain," he warned.

The real destabilizer

At this point, the real destabilizer and terrorist is the growing poverty in the country, according to Social Watch and GCAP-Philippines.

The groups also warned the lives of poor Filipinos will further worsen with the expansion of the coverage of the value-added tax and its scheduled increase to 12 percent next month.

"While short-term measures and safety nets may help in the immediate future, let us once and for all come up with more sustainable solutions to end poverty," Raquiza said.

In September 2000, 189 UN member-countries adopted the millennium declaration for peace and security, good governance and attention to the most vulnerable sector of society.

The declaration, which contained the achievements of the 8th MDG and specific targets under it by 2015, reflects the vision of wiping out poverty and laying down the foundations for sustainable human development by 2015. — Katherine Adraneda