Pandemic has left a deep scar in Eastern Visayas at 29 percent poverty rate among its residents or those whose incomes are below the amount needed to buy their basic necessities.
However, Philippine Statistics Authority Region 8 (PSA Eastern Visayas) Director Wilma Perante said that the latest data released by their office shows a decrease from 30.7 poverty incidence or the proportion of families with less than the average minimum income to meet the basic food and non-food requirements to the total number of families recorded in the 2018 survey.
“The number of poor populations in the region was estimated at 1.39 million in 2021 from 1.42 million three years ago. It posted a 1.8 decrease during the three-year period,” Perante said.
The latest reports revealed Eastern Samar with the highest poverty incidence among population in 2021 at 37.7 percent, while Southern Leyte registered the lowest poverty incidence among population at 21.5 percent.
Eastern Samar, Samar, and Leyte with the exemption of Tacloban city, registered higher poverty incidences among population than the regional figures in 2021, while the rest of the provinces posting lower poverty incidences than the regional estimate at 28.9 percent.
Tacloban City, the only highly urbanized city in the region, had also recorded a significant increase to 15.6 percent from 8.1 percent in 2018.
Perante added that Biliran and Samar posted an increase in poverty incidence in the past three years.
From 19.6 percent in 2018, Biliran’s poverty rate rose to 27.2 percent in 2021. Samar’s poverty data was 33.9 percent last year from 29.2 percent in the last survey while the poverty rate went up from 8.1 percent to 15.6 percent in the past three years.
However, compared to other provinces in the region, Eastern Samar with the highest poverty incidence has shown a significant improvement from 49.5 percent in 2018 to 37.7 percent in 2021 which could potentially add to a massive decrease in its poverty rate in the years to come.
A reduction in poverty incidences was also recorded in the province of Leyte from 31.1 percent to 29.2 percent, Northern Samar from 34.3 percent to 25.9 percent, and Southern Leyte from 23.7 percent to 21.5 percent.
“We are happy with the reduction of poverty incidence, but we missed to hit the 23.7 percent target under the Regional Development Plan when we recorded 28.9 percent incidence. This is understandable since we had (an) economic slump due to (the) Covid-19 pandemic,” said National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) 8 Director Meylene Rosales.
While COVID-19 in the region becomes less of a concern for many residents and business owners, the public is now facing the incessant increase in the prices of basic goods and services that had eventually led to the increase of monthly income requirement.
Reports from PSA further revealed that from P10,411 in 2018, a family of five now needs P11,187 every month to satisfy the basic food and non-food requirements.
“Bagat waray naman katapusan”
With the existing data, several residents admit to be hopeless considering the seemingly incessant increase in prices of consumer products.
“Kahit nagpapakakuba na sa trabaho parang malabo parin makahinga kahit konte. Parang lahat ngayon nag hihirap at mas lalo pang maghihirap, tapos parang wala nang katapusan pag taas ng bilihin to the point na masyado nang malaki ang gap ng sweldo namin sa mga bilihin,” Lovelyn, a minimum wage earner said.
"Diri ngani liwat kami mag increase hin presyo, kami naman ang lugi. Hindi lang naman mga bumibili ang nahihirapan, kami din. May negosyo nga pero di rin naman malaki ang kita namin. Namuhunan kami sa negosyo namin malaki rin ang mawawala samin," says Noel, a meat shop owner.