TAGUM CITY, Davao del Norte – Whatever form of assistance the government offers to individuals in crisis situations is always a response to alleviate the lives of beneficiaries from the impact of poverty.
Panelists during the dissemination of the 2023 Full-year Davao del Norte Poverty Statistics held in Tagum City on Oct 10, explained to participants that the direct assistance programs of the government are means of easing economic difficulty.
“Ayuda or assistance to individuals in crisis situations is a form of government response to poverty-related issues,” said Lanie Guinit of the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO) of Davao del Norte.
Citing the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS), she said that ayuda comes in several forms — cash, in-kind, and non-food — extended as medical, burial, emergency shelter assistance, food relief assistance, among others.
There might be some issues hounding the direct assistance programs of the government, but Guinit was sure that “ayuda can help reduce our poverty.”
In the same forum, Chief Statistical Specialist Pepito Amoyen explained that the poverty incidence report “is not just a report but this serves as a basis” of the government’s response to poverty.
“That’s why there is always that social protection program, the 4Ps (Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program). Tanan nga inyong nadunggan sa karon (All that you have heard) are actually government responses to reduce poverty,” Amoyen said.
Based on the 2023 Family Income and Expenditure Survey (FIES), the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) drew up the 2023 Poverty Incidence Report.
PSA Davao del Norte reported that the province sustained in 2023 its 7.3 percent Poverty Incidence among the population that it posted in 2021.
In its news release, PSA Davao del Norte said that the figure suggested that 73 of every 1,000 families in in the province were considered poor or have income below the poverty threshold — the amount needed to meet their minimum basic food and non-food needs.
In 2023, the average poverty threshold among families in Davao del Norte was pegged at P13,035.93.
For the PSA, this meant that a family of five in Davao del Norte would need a monthly income of at least P13,035.93 to meet their basic food and non-food needs.
“Families with monthly incomes below this threshold are considered poor,” PSA said. (JMDA, Davao del Norte)