Phl would fail to reach MDG by 2015: official

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - The government is unlikely to reach the Millennium Development Goal (MDGs) of reducing its poverty level to 16 percent in 2015 though the government would continue to work hard at reaching its target, a senior official said today.

Philippines' Presidential Communications Operations secretary Herminio Coloma said current poverty level in the country remains at 26 to 27 percent, which makes it difficult to reach the MDG 2015 target of reducing the poverty level to about half of the 1991 level of 33.1 percent.

The Philippine government is hoping that the poverty level would be reduced significantly, even if it does not reach its MDG target, he added.

Coloma's statement was made following the September 20 to 23 Social Weather Station (SWS) survey that showed that the number of self-rated poverty, though statistically was unchanged, went up to 50 percent from 49 percent in June. In November 1991, the self- rated poverty was at 62 percent.

Coloma said the government is determined to do its best in reducing poverty, stressing that millions of funds had been allocated by the administration to anti-poverty programs like the Conditional Cash Transfer under the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

He said the program, which provides poor families with monthly financial assistance in exchange for ensuring that their children go to school everyday and seek medical aid including immunization, aims to lift the people "from the lowest levels of poverty to attain economic self-sufficiency".