By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
The Palace reiterated President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s tireless efforts in responding to concerns that resonate with the masses, including poverty alleviation and hunger reduction.
At the Malacañang press briefing on Thursday, Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro cited the recent spate of natural calamities as the rationale behind the uptick in hunger incidence recorded by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) in a survey conducted between September 24-30.
In the poll conducted nationwide using face-to-face interviews on 1,500 adults, figures for the September hunger rate increased to 22%, which was higher than 16.1% in June.
Castro told the media, “Wag nating kalimutan na sunod-sunod ang kalamidad na nararanasan ng mga kababayan po natin. Nakaapekto po ito sa patuloy na pagtatrabaho ng ating pamahalaan, lalong lalo na po ang DSWD para mapababa ang hunger rate ng bansa.”
She was however quick to assure the citizenry that the government remains hard at work to lower incidences of starvation among Filipinos across the archipelago, citing some of the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) initiatives such as the Walang Gutom Kitchen, Supplementary Feeding Program, and the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP).
These programs complement the Kapit Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan – Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI CIDSS) and the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) that are geared towards mitigating poverty at the grassroots level.
The Palace mouthpiece concluded her remarks by reiterating that the Chief Executive remains unfazed by statistical figures regarding his trust and performance ratings, citing that Marcos continues to work hard for the betterment of the nation.
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