Binay camp: More Pinoys became poor under Aquino government

MANILA, Philippines – Despite the much-touted economic growth, more Filipinos became poor during the six years of the Aquino administration, the camp of Vice President Jejomar Binay said yesterday.

“There are more Filipinos now who describe themselves as poor compared to the beginning of the Aquino administration,” said Joey Salgado, Office of the Vice President media affairs chief, citing a recent Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey on self-rated poverty.

Binay, with vice presidential bet Sen. Gregorio Honasan, visited Quezon province yesterday to reiterate he would continue the pro-poor efforts, including the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), should he get elected to office.

He also said he wanted the senior citizens included in the conditional cash transfers, aside from adding more benefits to 4Ps. 

Binay and the other United Nationalist Alliance candidates visited schools and several covered courts in Guinayangan, Tagkawayan and Lopez towns.

Salgado, in claiming more Filipinos became poor under the Aquino administration, cited the SWS data that show 48 percent of Filipinos rated themselves poor during the first three months of Aquino administration, a figure that went up to 50 percent in December 2015.

“They cannot dispute the fact that more Filipinos consider themselves poor today than in 2010,” Salgado added. 

He showed the SWS survey, taken from Dec. 5 to 8, 2015, which estimated 11.2 million families considered themselves as “mahirap” or poor and a similar survey (Sept. 24 to 27, 2010) that showed 48 percent or about nine million families claimed to be poor.

“Where are we at right now? Despite the economic growth the administration keeps crowing about, 10 million Filipinos are still unemployed. More and more Filipinos are forced to leave the country to find work overseas because there are no job opportunities here. The cost of healthcare has risen and it is getting harder for people to get treatment in hospitals,” Salgado said.

He claimed that under Aquino, “Economic growth has favored only a few. Millions are still poor, hungry, and unemployed.” He also cited a World Bank report that said the Philippines lags behind Vietnam and Indonesia in poverty eradication.  – With Michelle Zoleta