The quality of life of 30,800 families or 172,900 individuals in the Cordillera have greatly improved, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority-CAR.
In a span of three years, these families have been lifted out of poverty, said PSA Regional Director Villafe Alibuyog.
Citing the 2018 Full Year Poverty Statistics, Alibuyog said poverty incidence in Cordillera is at 12.2 percent, a great improvement compared to the 22.6 percent poverty rate in 2015.
For poverty incidence among families, the 17 percent estimated in 2015 improved to 8.7 percent in the 2018 poverty statistics.
Comparing the 2018 with the 2015 statistics, the improvement in poverty incidence in the region translated to the reduction of the estimated poor families from 67,400 to 36,600 or from 389,100 to 216,200 in terms of poor individuals.
Alibuyog said a family with five members is considered poor if their per capita income falls below the poverty threshold, which for Cordillera in 2018 was estimated at P10,364.
Poverty threshold, also known as the poverty line, is the minimum income required for a family or an individual to meet basic food and non-food requirements.
Poverty incidence rate is lowest in Benguet with 4.3 percent, followed by Kalinga at 9.3 percent, Ifugao at 9.8 percent, Apayao with 15 percent, Apayao at 16 percent, and Mountain Province at 17.2 percent.
Alibuyog also said the Cordillera was able to meet the food threshold of over P7,000 per month. The PSA estimates that for a family with at least five members to be able to meet its basic food needs, it will need at least P7,242 monthly.
National Economic Development Authority Senior Economic Development Specialist Marciana Tawagen said poverty incidence dropping to 12 is a very good economic indication as this surpassed the Regional Development Plan (2017-2022) target, which is to reduce poverty incidence to 15.9 percent by 2022.
Tawagen attributed the improvement to the declining trend in unemployment and underemployment rates in the region and the sustained implementation of the government’s social assistance program. – Carlito C. Dar
April 20, 2024
