Manila: Decline of Philippines' poverty level to single digit three years ahead of the 2028 target, at 9.7 percent in 2025, is a powerful tool against insurgency, an anti-poverty official said
According to Philippines News Agency, the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), in a news release Friday, noted that Presidential Adviser on Poverty Alleviation Larry Gadon, in his speech during the NTF-ELCAC forum on Thursday, said continued improvement of the government's program to address poverty helps prevent the exploitation by armed groups among people from geographically isolated and disadvantaged (GIDA) areas.
'This, poverty reduction, has a huge direct effect on insurgency," Gadon stressed.
Gadon cited that when farmers, who are the normal target of terrorists' recruitment programs, see tangible support such as debt relief, free seeds, farm machinery, irrigation systems, post-harvest facilities and direct market access through the Kadiwa program and partnerships with major retailers like SM, they do not see any reason to join the armed conflict.
"Where development reaches, recruitment fails. When a farmer can earn a living without picking up a gun - insurgency loses its strongest foundation," he said.
Data released by the Philippine Statistics Authority on Aug. 21 showed the lowest-ever poverty incidence in the country, and noted that around '6.5 million Filipinos were lifted out of poverty between 2023 and 2025.'
'The number of Filipinos living below the poverty threshold fell from 17.5 million in 2023 to 11.0 million in 2025,' it said.
Gadon also noted the rise of the country's economy to an upper-middle-income status. He underscored the government's commitment to expand access to capital for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) through whole-of-government and private-sector partnerships.
"We are working across agencies and with the private sector to open opportunities for all Filipinos - so that the wealth of the nation is shared by all. When one builds a business, one creates jobs, and we all rise together," he said.
