Nearly half of Eastern Visayas population remains poor

TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines  — More than 1.7 million or 41.4 percent of the population in Eastern Visayas remained poor, according to data released by the National Statistical Coordination Board yesterday.

This latest official poverty data indicated that a family of five in Eastern Visayas would need P4,869 in monthly income to meet the basic food needs and P7,017 to stay out of poverty. 

Poverty incidence has worsened in 2009, with Eastern Samar province recording the highest at 54 percent, followed by Northern Samar with 51.2 percent, Samar with 45 percent, Southern Leyte with 43.3 percent, Biliran with 34.9 percent and Leyte with 34.3 percent.

The NSCB report also said that, in terms of the magnitude of the poor families, there was an increase of about 33,809 from 253,347 in 2006 to 287,156 in 2009.

NSCB regional director Evangeline Paran said the official 2009 data is very important because it will be the basis for government planning and implementation in the next years. The next poverty incidence data will be crafted from the 2012 survey.

The 2009 survey showed the worsening poverty situation could be attributed to damages to farms and properties caused by natural calamities and rising prices of basic commodities. "That affected the capability of families to meet their basic needs," Paran told The FREEMAN. 

Paran thus called on all government agencies and local government units to assess their performance and think of ways to improve the delivery of services that would improve the lives of the people. "Officials have to reflect why this happens despite efforts to fight poverty," she said.

The recent official data however raised doubts over the ability of Region 8 to reduce, in 2015, by a third the number of regional population living in "extreme poverty" in compliance with the target set under the Millennium Development Goals. (FREEMAN)