Poverty incidence in Capiz declines by 18%

By: Felipe V. Celino

ROXAS CITY, Capiz – Poverty incidence in the province of Capiz declined by almost 18 percent in three years time, government data indicated.

Capiz Gov Esteban Evan Nonoy Contreras said the decrease in poverty is worth celebrating.

Contreras noted that in the first quarter of 2015, Capiz’s poverty incidence was at 25.3 percent. But a report by the Philippines Statistics Authority (PSA) revealed that in the first quarter of 2018, the figure plunged to 8.01 percent.

Contreras revealed the data during the provincial consultative meeting of the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) at the Capiz Gym on Oct 5, 2019.

Secretary Noel K. Felongco, NAPC commissioner and lead convenor, said Capiz could be a good model for local government units.

Felongco appreciated the out-of-town service caravan of the governor as this is one way of delivering basic services to the people in remote areas where poverty is prevalent.

Felongco said that NAPC will be holding a provincial consultative assembly with the oppressed sector of society in Capiz next month to iron out the mission and visions of the commission.

He hopes that by 2040, poverty incidence in the country would be decreased to one digit as President Rodrigo Duterte is aiming for.

The NAPC is a government agency that coordinates poverty reduction programs by national and local governments and ensures that marginalized sectors participate in government decision-making processes.

NAPC was created by virtue of Republic Act 8425, otherwise known as the “Social Reform and Poverty Alleviation Act,” which took effect on June 30, 1998.