Malacanang welcomes SWS survey results on self-rated hunger, says numbers are encouraging
Malacanang welcomed the recent self-rated hunger survey results by the Social Weather Station (SWS) saying the numbers are encouraging and the government must sustain this momentum.
Fewer Filipinos experienced hunger in the last three months, according to the results of the latest SWS survey released on Friday.
“This is a significant plunge from the self-rated hunger rates reported in previous periods. Indeed, standing at 15.1 percent, the latest national figure for self-rated hunger is the lowest in four years,” Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said in a statement released Friday in Malacanang.
“We view these numbers as encouraging, reflecting, as they do, the perceptions and opinions of our countrymen at a particular period in time. Hunger is an indicator of poverty: and self-rated hunger is just one way to measure the incidence of poverty in our society,” he said.
Lacierda added that the only way to have an enduring, meaningful effect on public perception is to have a tangible and lasting impact on actual poverty reduction acknowledging that the government has to sustain its efforts to bring these numbers further down.
The conditional cash transfer (CCT) in particular has components that should help address poverty in the society, he said. Early this month the government is enrolling the two millionth beneficiary of the CCT which will be witnessed by the President himself.
Lacierda made verbal jabs to administration’s critics noting however that what is important for the present government is to significantly reduce poverty by providing the people with more options to ensure a better future.
SWS’s June 3-6 survey showed that 15.1 percent or three million families experienced hunger at least once in the past three months. This indicates a 5.4-percent drop from March’s 20.5 percent or an estimated 4.1 million families.
The latest hunger rate is the lowest since June 2007 when the prevalence among households was at 14.7 percent.
Severe hunger rate on the other hand, or families who said they have nothing to eat often or always declined to 2.0 percent, its lowest level since 2003. SWS found that the total number of families suffering from severe hunger went down to 403,000 from 950,000 families in March.
Presidential Communication Operations Office Secretary Herminio "Sonny" Coloma said the CCT program has started to take effect as evidenced by the recent SWS survey on self rated hunger.
“These figures clearly show the impact of our CCT in the lives of the poorest of the poor. We are confident that the CCT and our other programs aimed at reducing poverty in the next five years will succeed in ensuring that no more Filipino will be left behind in our journey towards prosperity for all envisioned in the “Pilipinas Natin.”
President Benigno Aquino III launched on Thursday the Pilipinas Natin program, a campaign aimed at bringing the country towards progress through partnership of the people and the government. (PCOO)
Palace says DOLE to clarify ban of OFWs in Saudi Arabia
Malacanang assured the public on Friday that the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is continuously working with its counterparts in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) to clarify the ban of Filipino workers there before the implementation of its new labor policy this coming September.
Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte issued the assurance as the implementation of a new labor policy – aptly called Nitagat - in Saudi Arabia looms.
Under the new policy, the Saudi government will prioritize employment of its nationals over foreign workers in Saudi-owned firms.
“We have been constantly working with counterparts of Secretary Baldoz with the KSA officials and we are trying to find a viable solution to the problem,” Valte said.
“Nagsalita na kaninang umaga si Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz and the DOLE is now in constant communication with its counterparts in KSA. May mga informal discussions na and they (DOLE officials) are waiting for the official notice (from the KSA) of the policy to be implemented,” Valte said in an interview on Friday in Malacanang.
Valte said that the Philippine labor department wanted to clarify whether the new policy will be intended only for new applicants.
Valte added that Baldoz is now encouraging affected OFWs to avail of the “government’s alternative livelihood packages" back home such as food processing, garments, beauty shops or computer shops.
She said the Aquino administration has already released some P27 million for the Filipino domestic helpers.
Earlier, Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said the Labor Department will be sending a labor attaché to Saudi Arabia to “verify these things."
Malacanang is concerned that the ban could possibly affect the Philippine economy, since Saudi Arabia is one of the top destination of overseas Filipino workers and the biggest source of dollar remittances outside the United States.
As of 2009, Saudi Arabia contributed 52 percent to the Middle East deployment and nearly 30 percent to worldwide deployment of Filipino workers, according to the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration. (PCOO)
Ochoa says Cabinet reshuffle unlikely
It is unlikely that President Benigno Aquino III will reshuffle his Cabinet members amid reports of a looming revamp under his one-year-old administration, Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr. said on Friday.
Ochoa told News to Go on GMA News TV that there is no indication that President Aquino will replace any member of his official family, when asked to comment on a news report quoting an unnamed Palace source identifying three of four Cabinet members whom the Chief Executive may remove.
“I don’t see that happening,” Ochoa said, referring to rumors of an impending reshuffle after the President publicly expressed his frustration over some officials who were unable to find immediate solutions to problems confronting their agencies.
According to Ochoa, the President might be referring to the problems that were brought to his attention by some Cabinet officials and there was nothing personal about his pronouncements.
“So as far as I am concerned, there’s nothing personal there on the part of the President. It’s all about work and there was no malice intended,” the Executive Secretary explained.
“Departments are confronted with problems and some of these problems are serious that sometimes immediate solutions are not readily available,” he added. (PCOO)
Malacanang welcomed the recent self-rated hunger survey results by the Social Weather Station (SWS) saying the numbers are encouraging and the government must sustain this momentum.
Fewer Filipinos experienced hunger in the last three months, according to the results of the latest SWS survey released on Friday.
“This is a significant plunge from the self-rated hunger rates reported in previous periods. Indeed, standing at 15.1 percent, the latest national figure for self-rated hunger is the lowest in four years,” Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said in a statement released Friday in Malacanang.
“We view these numbers as encouraging, reflecting, as they do, the perceptions and opinions of our countrymen at a particular period in time. Hunger is an indicator of poverty: and self-rated hunger is just one way to measure the incidence of poverty in our society,” he said.
Lacierda added that the only way to have an enduring, meaningful effect on public perception is to have a tangible and lasting impact on actual poverty reduction acknowledging that the government has to sustain its efforts to bring these numbers further down.
The conditional cash transfer (CCT) in particular has components that should help address poverty in the society, he said. Early this month the government is enrolling the two millionth beneficiary of the CCT which will be witnessed by the President himself.
Lacierda made verbal jabs to administration’s critics noting however that what is important for the present government is to significantly reduce poverty by providing the people with more options to ensure a better future.
SWS’s June 3-6 survey showed that 15.1 percent or three million families experienced hunger at least once in the past three months. This indicates a 5.4-percent drop from March’s 20.5 percent or an estimated 4.1 million families.
The latest hunger rate is the lowest since June 2007 when the prevalence among households was at 14.7 percent.
Severe hunger rate on the other hand, or families who said they have nothing to eat often or always declined to 2.0 percent, its lowest level since 2003. SWS found that the total number of families suffering from severe hunger went down to 403,000 from 950,000 families in March.
Presidential Communication Operations Office Secretary Herminio "Sonny" Coloma said the CCT program has started to take effect as evidenced by the recent SWS survey on self rated hunger.
“These figures clearly show the impact of our CCT in the lives of the poorest of the poor. We are confident that the CCT and our other programs aimed at reducing poverty in the next five years will succeed in ensuring that no more Filipino will be left behind in our journey towards prosperity for all envisioned in the “Pilipinas Natin.”
President Benigno Aquino III launched on Thursday the Pilipinas Natin program, a campaign aimed at bringing the country towards progress through partnership of the people and the government. (PCOO)
Palace says DOLE to clarify ban of OFWs in Saudi Arabia
Malacanang assured the public on Friday that the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is continuously working with its counterparts in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) to clarify the ban of Filipino workers there before the implementation of its new labor policy this coming September.
Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte issued the assurance as the implementation of a new labor policy – aptly called Nitagat - in Saudi Arabia looms.
Under the new policy, the Saudi government will prioritize employment of its nationals over foreign workers in Saudi-owned firms.
“We have been constantly working with counterparts of Secretary Baldoz with the KSA officials and we are trying to find a viable solution to the problem,” Valte said.
“Nagsalita na kaninang umaga si Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz and the DOLE is now in constant communication with its counterparts in KSA. May mga informal discussions na and they (DOLE officials) are waiting for the official notice (from the KSA) of the policy to be implemented,” Valte said in an interview on Friday in Malacanang.
Valte said that the Philippine labor department wanted to clarify whether the new policy will be intended only for new applicants.
Valte added that Baldoz is now encouraging affected OFWs to avail of the “government’s alternative livelihood packages" back home such as food processing, garments, beauty shops or computer shops.
She said the Aquino administration has already released some P27 million for the Filipino domestic helpers.
Earlier, Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said the Labor Department will be sending a labor attaché to Saudi Arabia to “verify these things."
Malacanang is concerned that the ban could possibly affect the Philippine economy, since Saudi Arabia is one of the top destination of overseas Filipino workers and the biggest source of dollar remittances outside the United States.
As of 2009, Saudi Arabia contributed 52 percent to the Middle East deployment and nearly 30 percent to worldwide deployment of Filipino workers, according to the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration. (PCOO)
Ochoa says Cabinet reshuffle unlikely
It is unlikely that President Benigno Aquino III will reshuffle his Cabinet members amid reports of a looming revamp under his one-year-old administration, Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr. said on Friday.
Ochoa told News to Go on GMA News TV that there is no indication that President Aquino will replace any member of his official family, when asked to comment on a news report quoting an unnamed Palace source identifying three of four Cabinet members whom the Chief Executive may remove.
“I don’t see that happening,” Ochoa said, referring to rumors of an impending reshuffle after the President publicly expressed his frustration over some officials who were unable to find immediate solutions to problems confronting their agencies.
According to Ochoa, the President might be referring to the problems that were brought to his attention by some Cabinet officials and there was nothing personal about his pronouncements.
“So as far as I am concerned, there’s nothing personal there on the part of the President. It’s all about work and there was no malice intended,” the Executive Secretary explained.
“Departments are confronted with problems and some of these problems are serious that sometimes immediate solutions are not readily available,” he added. (PCOO)
