Soliman Expresses Joy as Poverty Rate Declines

Social Welfare and Development Secretary Corazon Juliano-Soliman is pleased that the Convergence Strategy that the Department has adopted in 2012 played a significant role in reducing poverty incidence in the country in the first half of 2013.

Earlier, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported that the 2013 Annual Poverty Indicators Survey (APIS) conducted in July 2013 found that the percentage of Filipinos considered poor based on their average income dropped to 24.9 percent in the first semester of 2013 from 27.9 percent in the same period in 2012.

The Convergence Strategy addresses poverty through the harmonized implementation of three of its major programs, namely; Kapit-bisig Laban sa Kahirapan Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS), the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (Pantawid Pamilya), and the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP).

KALAHI-CIDSS provides funding for community-driven infrastructure projects such as school buildings, health centers, farm-to-market roads, foot bridges, and water systems, among others.

In 2013, KALAHI-CIDSS expanded its coverage to reach up to 50 percent of the poorest municipalities in targeted provinces, utilizing the Additional Financing (AF) of the World Bank (WB) and a grant from the United States’ Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC). To date, the project covers a total of 328 municipalities in 48 poorest provinces in the country.

Pantawid Pamilya gives cash grants to poor families to ensure their education, health and nutritional needs. As of March 26, 2014, Pantawid Pamilya has 4,004,795 household-beneficiaries from 1,410 cities and municipalities in 79 provinces nationwide.

SLP extends capital assistance and capability building to beneficiaries to start their own income generating projects.

To date, 378,074 households continue to generate income through the employment and business opportunities under SLP.

To illustrate further, Soliman explained that Pantawid Pamilya families can avail of basic services such as education and health through the facilities built through KALAHI-CIDSS right in their communities.

As part of the Convergence Strategy, Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries who are graduating from the program may avail of the SLP to generate income to sustain their daily needs.