By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
Malacañang assured the masses that the government is doing everything in its power to uplift Filipinos’ lives, by stemming poverty at its grassroots level as well as launching initiatives that would help to bolster the Philippine economy.
This, as Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro responded to media queries regarding the results of a Social Weather Station (SWS) survey held from Sept. 24-30, which shows that half of Filipinos consider themselves poor.
Castro declared, “Sa ating pagkakaalam, at ito ay nasa datos na rin po, ang Pangulo po at ang administrasyong ito ay talagang gumaganap para po maiangat ang buhay ng bawat Pilipino.”
She expounded, “At alam din po natin na 860,471 members na po ng 4Ps ang gumraduate at sila po ay nakagraduate na sa kanilang kahirapan, at sila po ay naalis na sa 4Ps program. But still, magpapatuloy pa rin po ang Pangulo at ang administrasyon na mapagaan pa po ang kabuhayan ng bawat Pilipino.”
The Palace mouthpiece moreover reiterated the 96.1% employment rate and the 1.7% inflation rate figures from October, citing such as positive indicators of growth and progress, emphasizing that the latter falls within the 2-4% projected target set forth by the Marcos Jr. administration.
She also shared some of the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) programs that are focused on poverty reduction, which include the Walang Gutom Kitchen, Sustainable Livelihood Program, and Kapit Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan – Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI CIDSS), which provide government services to Filipinos living below the poverty line.
On measures to buoy PH economy amid various headwinds
Castro, meanwhile, expressed confidence that the country’s economy remains in good shape amid Monday’s dip in stocks noted by the Philippine Stock Exchange Index (PSEI), cited as the lowest since April.
“Confident po [tayo] na ito ay malalagpasan ng ating gobyerno, unang-una po, dahil nandiyan din po ang tulong ng mga business process outsourcing (BPO) companies, nandiyan din po ang tulong ng overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), ang tourism [sector], pati po ang fast economic growth natin.”
She cited this recent development in the local stock market as characteristic of the ebb and flow of trade and has nothing to do with politics, but provided assurance that the government will be closely monitoring this matter.
As for the weakening of the Philippine peso in comparison to the U.S. Dollar, Castro declined to comment on the matter, instead urging the media to wait for a statement from either of the following: Special Assistant to the President on Investment and Economic Affairs (SAPIEA) Frederick Go, Department of Budget and Management (DBM), Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev), and the Department of Finance (DOF).
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