The government will strive to reduce poverty incidence to 10 percent to 12 percent from the original target of 14 percent by 2022, National Economic and Development Authority Director General Ernesto Pernia said yesterday.
More families could be lifted out of poverty as the 2022 goal of 14 percent could be attained as early next year amid the sustained government efforts, according to Pernia.
“It’s really going to be exceedingly satisfying for everybody if we are able to bring down poverty incidence even to 11 percent. So I think we will probably change our target for the midterm update of Philippine Development Plan from 14 percent by 2022, we will make it to 10 to 12 percent to be sure,” he said.
“In other words, 10 percent to 12 percent possible poverty reduction by 2022, possible and also quite reasonable,” he added.
The country’s poverty incidence dropped to 16.6 percent in 2018 from 23.3 percent in 2015 owing to improved labor market conditions that raised salaries of workers.
Pernia noted that the nation almost reached its target to lift six million Filipinos out of poverty by 2022 as 5.9 million were lifted out of poverty as of 2018.
“The biggest reduction was experienced by Region 7. The only region that did not, that had an increase in poverty incidence is the ARMM (Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao) or BARMM (Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao) now and that is because the region has really been problematic in terms of governance but we expect the governance of BARMM to improve,” he said. (Genalyn Kabiling)