NEDA: Regional income gap widened from 2009 to 2018
MANILA, Philippines — Inequality in income per capita across regions widened over time, the country’s socioeconomic planning agency said Thursday, adding that the government should double its efforts to close regional development gaps.
Using 2009 to 2018 data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, the National Economic and Development Authority estimated that the “dispersion” of regional real per capita Gross Domestic Product increased during the period.
A declining trend in distribution of real per capita GDP means that regional disparity in income per capita is narrowing while an increasing trend means the opposite, NEDA explained.
“This disparity did not happen immediately. It happened over a period of time,” NEDA Undersecretary Adoracion Navarro told a press conference.
“All stakeholders must also help the government in expediently implementing the Build, Build, Build program, which will boost regional growth and reduce the gaps across the regions,” Adoracion added, referring to the Duterte government’s aggressive infrastructure plan.
“As widening disparities may be more a result of high rate of population growth in some regions than poor economic performance per se, stakeholders especially local government units must also support the government’s family planning and reproductive health program,” she continued.
All 17 regions posted positive growth in 2018, with 12 regions exceeding the 2018 national growth rate of 6.2%, NEDA said.
Among all regions, Bicol region grew the most at 8.9%, followed by Davao and MIMAROPA both at 8.6%.
On the flipside, Caraga, Cagayan Valley and the National Capital Region recorded the slowest growth rates last year. — Ian Nicolas Cigaral
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