Much like everywhere else in the world, poverty increased in the Philippines during the COVID-19 pandemic. As of April 2023, national poverty estimates show that poverty incidence rose from 16.7% in 2018 to 18.1% in 2021, translating to 19.9 million poor people as of 2021. Government and private groups alike are working to reduce poverty and uplift communities in some of the poorest areas in the country. Here are some efforts that are uplifting communities in the Philippines.

Kadiwa ng Pangulo

Arguably the most significant anti-poverty measure taken so far in 2023 has been the Kadiwa ng Pangulo at the end of February. The program aims to counter the country’s rapid ongoing inflation, specifically inflation affecting the rising cost of food.

Kadiwa is a government-backed market chain that works by having local producers sell their products directly to customers. This reduces the impact cost of a middleman, which results in higher income generated by selling their produce directly to consumers but also means reduced cost to the customer. There are currently more than 500 Kadiwa stores operational.

Arteche Egg Production

In Arteche, a town with a 58.66% poverty rate, organizations have collaborated with local governments to form a community-uplifting project.

During 2022, Arteche’s egg production sufficiency was only 20%. To meet the high demand in local markets, 40 egg-laying machines with 4,000 chickens have been provided to the area to further establish a basic food source for low-income citizens. The program has been estimated to double the egg production in Arteche.

An early September 2023 update reports that at least 114 farming groups with about 2,250 members in eastern parts of the Philippines will receive support as an extension of the egg production program and as a way of uplifting communities in the Philippines. The Department of Agriculture will be evaluating these farming groups to conduct quality control and any at-risk parties in need of additional support.

The department will also be using this as an opportunity to develop the local economies in the area by teaching farmers how to engage in the market more productively. This program will directly benefit 10 of the poorest areas in Eastern Visayas.

Manila Caravan Program

In Manila, the local government has established a caravan with the purpose of establishing better local housing for the poor. Specific types of citizens mentioned were students, teachers, senior citizens, persons with disabilities and informal settler families — families who live in local substandard living or are homeless.

The end goal of the caravan program is to establish self-sufficient communities with proper housing projects that include electricity and clean water provided by refurnished water pipes.

One of the most important aspects of building these communities is relocating informal settler families to housing areas; preferably close to their respective sources of income.

Impact of These Programs on Filipinos

Poverty is not about numbers on a page over an area; it is about unclean water, poor food and substandard housing. It is about living in an environment where growth is stunted. The Filipinos understand this and are working to improve the quality of life in neighborhoods. An estimated 4.7 million Filipinos have benefited from the aforementioned anti-poverty programs as well as other concurrent programs, such as the completion of 2,778 infrastructure sites, including roads, schools and health stations.

While the national inflation and significant poverty rate pose great challenges, people are working to alleviate the effects where possible and uplifting communities in the Philippines will result in a decreasing poverty rate in the next several years following the pandemic.

 – Eddie Dale
Photo: Flickr