MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / Jan. 8, 2013) – Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte on Tuesday trumpeted the anti-poverty programs and accomplishments of the Aquino administration, saying fewer families are experiencing hunger in the Philippines.
Valte said the “Fourth Quarter 2012 Social Weather Survey on Hunger” showed the number of families who experienced hunger in December last year dropped to 16.3% from 21% in August 2012, with the rate at its lowest since the 15.1% recorded in June 2011.
“This translates to one million fewer families who have experienced involuntary hunger in the fourth quarter of 2012. The Aquino administration remains committed to addressing hunger as a result of poverty,” she said in a statement sent to the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner.
Valte said the government continues to expand and enhance efforts to uplift living conditions for Filipinos, especially the poor through social interventions such as the Conditional Cash Transfer program, which puts a premium on purchasing food for family beneficiaries, and the supplemental feeding programs of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
“These initiatives both mitigate and lay the foundations to help families rise above poverty and better their lives,” she said.
(Mindanao Examiner)
20