𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘚𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 2021 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘥 𝘪𝘯 2018, 𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘴 𝘈𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘋𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 17, 2021.

The report suggests that 69% of Nortehanons had incomes sufficient to meet their basic food and non- food needs a significant increase from 63.4% in the First Semester of 2018. In addition, 76.9% of Nortehanon families were able to meet their basic food and non-food needs compared to 70% in the same period three years ago. This, even as the per capita poverty threshold increased from P12,662 in the First Semester of 2018 to P13,173 in the First Semester of 2021.

Among the six provinces in the region, Northern Samar was the second least poor, climbing two notches higher from its position in the First Semester of 2018 and four steps up in the same period in 2015.

The report also indicates that 89.40% of Nortehanons were able to meet their basic food needs in the First Semester of 2021, a significant improvement compared to 83.90% in the same period in 2018.

Moreover, the proportion of Nortehanon families who had income to cover their basic food needs increased to 92.90% in 2021 from 87.8% in 2018, despite the increase in the per capita food threshold from P8,840 to P9,192.

Compared to the other provinces in the region, Northern Samar ranked first in terms of the proportion of population and of families whose incomes were enough for their basic food needs, leaping from the third position in the First Semester of 2018 and from the sixth in the same period in 2015.

According to Provincial Planning and Development Coordinator, Engr. Romeo Cardenas, there are three major factors, among others, which can be credited for this decrease in poverty incidence in our province: less natural disasters, infrastructure investments, and good governance.

“𝘍𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵, 𝘸𝘦’𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘐𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘌𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘚𝘶𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘺 (𝘍𝘐𝘌𝘚) 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥. 𝘚𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥, 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵. 𝘈𝘯𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘨𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳 on 𝘣𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘴, 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘨𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵.” PPDC Cardenas explained.

Also notable is the fact that the FIES was conducted in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, thus also reflecting the outstanding response and recovery initiatives of the provincial and municipal LGUs in Northern Samar.

This consistently upward trend in Northern Samar’s poverty statistics shows the effectiveness of the poverty alleviation programs of the provincial government under the leadership of Governor Edwin Marino Ongchuan thru his development agenda Padayon nga KAUSWAGAN or Sustained PROGRESS.

“𝘐𝘯 2019, 𝘐 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘚𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘳 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘛𝘰𝘱 20 𝘱𝘰𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘺. 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴, 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘤, 𝘸𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘶𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘮𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘨𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘸, 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦,” Governor Edwin Ongchuan said about the new PSA poverty statistics.

According to the governor, this good news further motivates the provincial government and the 24 municipal LGUs to proceed with programs and projects that would get more people above the poverty line and to stay on track towards making every Nortehanon Marig-on, Mainuswagon, and Malipayon.

“𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪, 𝙢𝙮 𝙛𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬 𝙉𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙚𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙤𝙣𝙨, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙛 𝙪𝙨.”