Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III criticized the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) for ‘feeding’ President Ferdinand Marcos an unrealistic number of “food poor.”
“I pity the President ( Ferdinand Marcos Jr.) because of the figure he is using in his report to the public,” Pimentel remarked.
“The President has been making a report. He has been making promises. But the truth is we are still far from achieving (poverty reduction).”
If the President wants to be successful in his fight against poverty, Pimentel said he should crack the whip and demand from his secretaries evidence-based decision making and not theoretical figures.
“The President should demand not only theoretical figures but actual figures confirmed on the ground,” said Pimentel.
The President’s ambition before his term ends is to minimize poverty by 10 percent.
The senator proposed that NEDA should conduct a one week immersion in communities to determine the real poverty situation in the Philippines.
Earlier, NEDA said that for 2023, one cannot be considered “food poor” or one who has difficulty in buying food if the budget is P64 a day for food.
The senator stressed that NEDA is “theoretical” when it comes to gauging poverty rate.
To be realistic, he said the agency should go down to the communities to get an actual condition of poverty so it can be properly addressed.
“NEDA should show their theory is right. They should take extra steps.
