The government is mandated to implement programs to ensure the rights of the Filipino poor to food, work, education, housing, and health care will be met under a new law signed by President Duterte.
Republic Act No. 11291 or the Magna Carta of the Poor seeks to provide the poor with full access to government services as well as establish a national poverty reduction plan to improve their welfare. The new law was signed by the President last April 12 and released to the public yesterday.
“It is the declared policy of the State to uplift the standard of living and quality of the poor and provide them with sustained opportunities for growth and development,” the law read.
“It shall adopt an area-based, sectoral, and focused intervention to poverty alleviation where every poor Filipino must be empowered to meet the minimum basic needs through the partnership of the government and the basic sectors,” it added.
Under the law, the government will establish a “system of progressive realization” or implementation to provide opportunities to realize the rights of the poor to “adequate food,” “decent work,” “relevant and quality education,” “adequate housing,” and “highest attainable standard of health.”
The law defines the poor as “individuals or families whose income falls below the poverty threshold as defined by the National Economic and Development Authority and or who cannot afford in a sustained manner to provide their minimum basic needs of food, health, education, housing, and other essential amenities of life.” (Genalyn Kabiling)