[ On the recent poverty rate hike] Poverty will worsen because of CCT--Kadamay

PRESS RELEASE l 17 NOV 2011
KALIPUNAN NG DAMAYANG MAHIHIRAP
REFERENCE : Gloria Arellano, Kadamay national sec-gen, 09213937457

Poverty will worsen because of CCT. This is the prediction of urban poor group Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap (Kadamay) after they padlock the gate of National Anti-Poverty Commission this morning, in response to the recent survey result of Social Whether Station that shows more than half of the population at 52% consider themselves as poor.

According to Gloria Arellano, national vice-chair of Kadamay, the poverty-alleviation program of the Aquino administration only centers on the Conditional Cash Transfer. CCT only diverts the right direction towards poverty-alleviation.

Kadamay's statement is in contrary to what Presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte is saying that poverty might worsen on the fourth quarter because of the effect of typhoon Pedring. It negates what Secretary Dinky Soliman is boasting of that CCT is an investment on human capital.

Arellano adds that though this survey should not be the sole basis of looking at the real situation of the poor, it is clear that the poor becomes poorer these days compared to previous administrations.

According to Kadamay, the Aquino administration has not actually created real jobs for the poor, and won’t create real jobs even five years after the CCT timetable because of neo-liberal policies that inhibit national industrialization in the country. "And no matter how big government's allotment for CCT is, if it won't create jobs and give the necessary increase to the measly wage of the workers, the poor will remain poor,"

According to Arellano, the Aquino administration is wasting taxpayers' fund for the CCT program. "It makes the people believe that the fund for CCT will have long-term effects towards poverty-alleviation. Of the 39B peso-CCT fund for 2012, how many industries could be funded to operate to create jobs for millions of Filipionos who are jobless," she adds.

“CCT will also bury the country into bigger debts to World Bank that the future generation will shoulder to pay. The Aquino administration must focus its resources to job creation and increasing the wage of its workers,” says Arellano.

“Aquino must be wary of the outburst of an impending social unrest as it keeps on endorsing its pallative approach against poverty. The crisis will worsen as the Aquino administration remains puppet to the dictates of neoliberal policies, and hinders the implementation of genuine agrarian reform and national industrialization programs that are the real solutions so the toiling masses could bould break free from the pangs of poverty,” Arellano ends. ###