Andanar hopeful for government to reach its poverty reduction target by 2020
Credit to Author: The Manila Times| Date: Fri, 27 Dec 2019 17:34:54 +0000
Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Martin Andanar said that he is hopeful that the government can achieve its target of improving the lives of more Filipinos by reducing the poverty incidence in the country ahead of its timeline.
He said that the government’s target back in 2016 was to reduce poverty incidence from 23 percent to 14 percent at the end of the term in 2022.
“But we can see that it is only 2019, and we are already at 16 percent. So there’s a big possibility that once we calculate the poverty incidence, by next year we can already achieve the 14 percent,” he added.
Last week, the Philippine Statistics Authority reported that poverty incidence declined to 16.6 percent from 23.3 percent in 2015.
According to the National Economic and Development Authority, this translated to 5.9 million Filipinos lifted out of poverty. Various entrepreneurial activities and the government’s conditional cash transfer program were noted as the key drivers of this progress.
Alongside his engagement with the media, Secretary Andanar also attended an official project announcement of the first student dormitory condominium in the city.
He commended the leading company for ensuring an environment conducive for learning and comfortable living.
“I must personally commend the various ingredients you have included in the construction of this premier dormitories,” he said.
“It is a wide landscape of many ingredients; and one of the more important of these is the safe, clean, comfortable and interactive atmosphere in the dorms occupied by the students,” he added.