By Junex Doronio
MANILA — It’s just like looking at the glass of water as half-full when a top official of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) expressed optimism that the country under the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. will achieve a single digital poverty rate by 2028.
This was aired by NEDA Undersecretary Rosemarie Edillon who noted that the country’s labor market recovered quickly following the reopening of the economy battered by the Covid-19 pandemic because of the available skills of the Filipino workforce.
“So, ang kailangan mo lang talaga is ibalik kaya lang nakita rin natin nagkakaroon din ng restructuring in other countries pati sa atin tama din iyon kasi nga nag-iba na rin talaga iyong panahon ngayon at kailangan lang nating mabilis na mag-adjust dito. So, iyon ang nakikita namin,” Edillon said during a recent news forum.
When asked if the nine percent poverty rate by 2028 is attainable, the NEDA official confidently replied in the affirmative.
“Yeah. Tingin namin kasi blip talaga iyong 2021 dahil nga sa COVID. So, nakita naman na rin natin iyong parang what worked before and that was really kailangan mo talaga ng economic growth and then make sure na itaas mo iyong inclusiveness of the growth,” Edillon said.
She further observed that, unlike other disasters, the pandemic did not ruin infrastructure or capital.
“Noong dati po ang pagiging inclusive natin is marami po talaga iyong naging social assistance natin sa baba. Ang kagandahan naman po doon itong social assistance na ito kaakibat po rin nito iyong sa education, sa healthcare and then sa training,” Edillon said.
(ai/mnm)
