Asec Shahani: Gov. Espino’s anti-poverty drive is impressive
LINGAYEN–“We are now considered the fastest growing economy in Asia but this has not brought effect in poverty reduction as proven by the latest report of the National Statistics Coordination Board (NSCB) where the country only posted a slim 1.1 percent from 2006 to 2012.”
This was stated by Assistant Secretary Lila Ramos Shahani, daughter of Former Senator Letecia Ramos-Shahani, who heads the Communications Group-Human Development and Poverty Reduction Cabinet Cluster at the Office of the President during the 115th Independence Day celebration on June 10 at the Capitol Plaza here.
Shahani said the country at present is battling the war against poverty and the incumbent leadership of President Benigno Aquino III is doing a great job to cushion the impact of poverty incidence among the country’s marginalized families.
The good news, however, is that Pangasinan is one of the provinces in the country that registered a poverty rate sharp drop of 9.5 percent, Shahani pointed out.
She said that with the enormous strides that the provincial government has gone into from 2006 to 2012 to address poverty, Pangasinan is now well on its way to a better economy.
“Figures were not manufactured but based on genuine report of the NSCB. Gov. Amado Espino did a remarkable job and no one can question that,” she noted.
Shahani said that while the biggest problem in the Philippines is on income equality, the national government is never remiss in doing its job to free the country against the ‘chain of poverty.’
She stressed that the Aquino administration has allocated an unprecedented 34 percent of the total national budget to social services alone to address poverty.
This, however, cannot be achieved overnight but requires a long process with the cooperation of the people.
Meanwhile, Vice Governor Jose Ferdinand Z. Calimlim, Jr., currently acting governor, said the present provincial leadership under Espino has “actually made the impossible possible.”
“As a race we are independent but we must strive even further and harder to reach the independence that we want to achieve,” the vice governor said, as he noted that Pangasinan has started its way to reach full independence thru various development programs that have yielded positive results since 2007.
Provincial Administrator Rafael Howard F. Baraan, on the other hand, said that the Espino administration has actually set its sight to free Pangasinan from poverty thus transforming the mindset of the people towards self-sufficiency.
The simple program which coincided with the regular flag-raising ceremony was attended by Former Senator Leticia Ramos-Shahani, provincial board members and officials of different national line agencies. (PIO/Ruby R. Bernardino)
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