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KMU NEWS RELEASE
October 3, 2003
Labor group criticize deceptive government estimates on poverty situation
The militant labor center Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) today strongly criticized the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) for being too conservative with its estimate on the national poverty situation as it presented that only 26.5 million Filipinos or 4.3 million families are living below the poverty line in the year 2000.
The labor center regarded the NSCB report as deceptive and misleading. “This is a big lie, not even loads of statistics from the NSCB could lead us into believing that only 34 percent of the country’s population are living below the poverty line. Government statisticians are either blind or are living in another planet. Everyday we are faced with the reality of widespread poverty , how could they have come up with such a deceptive report?”
NSCB based the poverty incidence on the annual per capita poverty threshold amounting to P11,605 which means that a family of five should have at least P4,835 monthly income to suffice their food and non-food requirements. “If this is what the government holds true, then we challenge government officials, executives and their families to try to live on this standard.”
Based on this estimate, the government believes that a person needs only P32 a day for his needs. “How can the government expect a person to live decently for only P32 a day? Even a simple meal of rice and vegetable in a lowly food stall already costs P20-25. Even the poorest wage earner will tell you that P32 is not enough for one’s daily needs,” KMU Secretary General Joel Maglusod.
Maglunsod lambasted the government for its propensity in covering up the worsening poverty situation to obscure its liability for the rising financial scarcity happening throughout the country. “The actual conditions lived through by the people are far more credible than government statistics and figures.”
The labor leader said that the Arroyo government’s fight against poverty is not even helping ease the people’s burden on unemployment, lack of livelihood and widespread hunger. “Government policies including the freezing of minimum wages added to the worsening poverty of the people.”