E. Visayas now Phl’s poorest region

TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines — Economic condition in Eastern Visayas had worsened, as a result of the Yolanda devastation in 2013, making the region the country's poorest, dislodging the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao.

Leyte Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla, chairman of the Regional Development Council-Region 8, said the Annual Poverty Indicator's Survey conducted by the Philippine Statistics Authority in the first half of 2014, showed that EV's poverty incidence hit an all-time high of 54.9 percent, against ARMM's 54 percent and Bicol Region's 48.2 percent.

The PSA's survey results indicated that 54.9 percent, or more than one-half of EV's population of 4.10 million are now very poor with their income falling below the national threshold set per person. 

The coconut industry is the most affected with 1.1 million farmers losing their sources of income, considering that 33.82 million coconut trees were destroyed by Yolanda, said Petilla.

The governor said the poverty incidence in the region, after Yolanda, was expected to get worse from only 45.4 percent before the disaster struck.

Petilla added that P130.4 billion in total losses were reported from 63 out of 143 towns and cities in the region.

The governor, in an interview at his office at the Capitol, however, was optimistic that EV could recover from the impact of the devastation.

He boasted the government's ongoing rehabilitation efforts, coupled with the assistance from the private sectors, international community, stakeholders and other donors, continuously working on rehabilitation and reconstruction projects. (FREEMAN)