Malacañang is optimistic that more families will live more comfortable lives this year after a Social Weather Stations survey showed that the number of Filipinos who considered themselves poor dropped to 50 percent last December from 52 percent in September 2018.
Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said Malacañang welcomes the result of the self-rated poverty survey conducted last Dec. 16 to 19, saying this translates to an estimated 600,000 families saying that they no longer think of themselves as poor.
Panelo also noted a similar drop in Filipino families rating their food as “mahirap” (poor), which stood at 34 percent in December 2018 vis-à-vis the 36 percent three months earlier.
According to Panelo, such improvements may be perceived to be in consonance with the December 2018 inflation drop of 5.1 percent, the lowest since June 2018. He said the Palace is now optimistic that the situation for Filipinos will get better.
“With the President’s tireless efforts in addressing and taming the inflationary effects of the prices of basic goods and commodities, we remain optimistic that many Filipino families would continue to feel more comfort this year,” he said.
Panelo also cited the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ forecast that inflation for 2019 is expected to decelerate below four percent.
However, he said the government will continue to pursue improving the lives of every Filipino. “Even as we acknowledge such positive development, we note however that the poverty among Filipinos is still high,” he said. (Argyll Geducos)