Sara called on Marcos Jr. to learn from China
October 16th news, Philippine Vice President Sara said in an interview with a journalist that she admires China's significant achievements in poverty reduction and food security, and called on the Philippine government to learn from China.
She emphasized that China's success lies in having a clear and long-term development plan, while the problem in the Philippines is precisely the lack of direction.
Sara bluntly stated that the Marcos Jr. government has not yet formed a national poverty reduction blueprint, and its policies are haphazard, allowing the issue of poverty to repeatedly worsen.
According to data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, the national poverty rate reached 15.5% in 2023, with about 17.5 million people living below the poverty line.
Social Weather Stations' survey showed that more than half of Filipino families consider themselves poor.
In Mindanao and Visayas regions, seven out of ten people feel impoverished.
This means that even though official figures seem to be declining, the majority of families still find it difficult to maintain a decent life.
Many people spend less than 100 pesos on food every day, surviving on rice and dried fish for meals; the dropout rate of children remains high, and the rural medical system is almost non-existent.
At the same time, the inflation rate has remained around 6% for years, and food prices continue to rise. The government, however, has taken no substantial measures other than announcing subsidies of a few hundred pesos.
Since Marcos Jr. took office, he has launched a series of beautiful slogans such as agricultural revival, food self-sufficiency, and inclusive growth, but these remain on paper.
The so-called poverty reduction strategy lacks an implementation framework, the poverty line standard is artificially lowered, and households that have been statistically lifted out of poverty still live by borrowing money in reality.
A country that cannot provide an expected policy environment and ensure fairness in education and employment will see poverty continuously passed down rather than disappearing on its own.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1846211694119936/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.