With the 2012 national budget set to be filed on December of 2011, the economic managers of the current administration recently expressed confidence that poverty incidence in the Philippines can be lessened to 16.6 percent by 2015.
The positive outlook on the decrease of poverty cases in the country was based on recent reports by the Development Budget Coordinating Committee. The agency plans to give more financial support on programs that aim to alleviate the conditions of the poor in the next national budget.
With P1.8 trillion as the proposed domestic budget, the Aquino administration also expects to meet the United Nation’s (UN) Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
As a member nation of the UN, the biggest challenges imposed upon the Philippines is addressing goals of Eradicating extreme poverty and hunger (Goal 1); Achieving universal primary education (Goal 2); Reducing child mortality rate (Goal 4); and Improving maternal health (Goal 5) in the country.
Budget Secretary Florencio Abad affirmed that aside from job creation, further assistance in pro-poor programs such as the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) will be able to decrease the poverty rate in the Philippines.
Through the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the CCT will be able to grant financial aid to families living below the poverty level.
The cash grant will enable the parents to send children to school; get necessary immunization for infants; and have families regularly checked at the nearest health centers.
From the DSWD’s budget of P21 billion in 2011, the report stated that the budget of the DSWD will increase to up to P39 billion in 2012.
Even with the additional budget for the DSWD and the renewed focus on poverty, Abad, however, said that tackling poverty may not be enough.
Achieving quality education, easing child mortality rate, and enhancing maternal health are some of the goals that need some priority by the government apart from poverty according to the budget secretary.
To say that the Aquino administration has not been thorough on addressing the raised issues would be an overstatement.
In fact, the Department of Education (DepEd), recently introduced this school year the Kindergarten plus program (K-12), a program that encourages children five years and below to enroll in kindergarten classes in order to improve the quality of education in the country.
The program also adds a couple years more to secondary level to make the Filipino high school graduates competitive especially when applying for a job abroad. Prior to the K-12 program, the Philippines was the only remaining nation in Asia with a 10-year basic education.
Meanwhile, the Reproductive Health (RH) bill aims to guarantee universal access to methods and information on birth control and maternal care. Supporters of the controversial bill believe that the slow progress in addressing child mortality rate and maternal health care are attributed to the continuous opposition to the RH bill. Known for her conservative beliefs, the church is considered as the front liners of the RH Bill debate.
Those people who expect more of themselves are most likely to achieve more than they could have ever imagined. The Filipino people, known for their strong faith and love for country, should realize that achieving goals takes more than just the hunger for change. Change requires action, perseverance, and confidence to achieve a desirable result. Should the Filipinos decide to act together as a nation and work on any disagreements they may have, the Philippines would be a country as beautiful and progressive they picture it would be.
(www.asianjournal.com)
(NYNJ Aug 12-18, 2011 Sec A pg. 6)
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