NAPC chief calls for collective action vs poverty

Maza assured the public that as government officials, they would keep their eyes and ears open to the demands of the different sectors of society. (Photo: National Anti-Poverty Commission/Facebook)

MANILA — National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) Secretary Liza Maza on Friday called on the public for collective action in order to alleviate poverty through the Kilos para sa Sampung Batayang Pangangailangan (Kilos SAMBAYANAN).

Maza, who is lead convenor, made the call during the second leg of the Kilos SAMBAYANAN — an anti-poverty information and advocacy caravan of the Duterte administration, held at the Bureau of Soils and Water Management in Quezon City.

“Kailangan pagbuklod-buklurin ang ating mga sarili para lakasan pa ang ating boses nang sa ganun sa kahuli-hulihan po yung pagkilos ng sambayanan, ‘yan po ang mag-aangat sa ating lahat, (We should work collectively to strengthen our voice so that in the end, our movement as one society would eventually lift us all up),” Maza said.

Maza assured the public that as government officials, they would keep their eyes and ears open to the demands of the different sectors of society.

Kilos SAMBAYANAN seeks to address the “10 Basic Needs” of the poor including food and land reform, water, shelter, health, education, work, social protection, healthy environment, peace, and participation, as identified by the NAPC.

The NAPC, in partnership with the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO), mobilized member agencies of the Cabinet’s Human Development and Poverty Reduction Cluster (HDPRC) to unite all sectors of society to address food security, land reform and environmental protection, and the housing needs of the poor.

She also called member sectors of NAPC to also join in calling the attention of officials through the action alert initiatives.

NAPC is in charge of coordinating, monitoring and overseeing that social agenda is being fulfilled.

“Yang pagkain po ay napakaimportanteng-importante sapagkat hanggang ngayon mayron pa rin tayong (Food is really very important because until now, we still have) 21.9 (percent) Filipinong mahirap (poor),” she further said as she cited that food sufficiency should be one of the basic necessities that should be addressed while the country moves toward the realization of Philippine Development Plan ‎‎2016-2022 and in the desire to achieve “Ambisyon 2040” where the dream is no Filipino will be poor and instead enjoying prosperous lives.

She added that 7 out of 10 farmers in the country till lands which they do not own.

“So kailangan magkaron talaga ng totoong (there is really a need for genuine) agrarian reform para tumaas ang kita ng ating magsasaka (to boost the income of farmers),” she said, noting that 59 percent of the population of the country belongs in the rural areas.

The NAPC chief also cited the country’s 2 million housing backlog, as well as the job contractualization that have to be addressed.

As a remedy, Maza said it is high time to push one advocacy of NAPC which is focused on the uplifting of the manufacturing sector.

“Isang advocacy rin ng NAPC, na alam ko na gusto rin ng Presidente (Duterte) na mapaunlad ang ating manufacturing sector. Its high time that we produce our own di gaya ngayon na ultimo posporo ay inaangkat pa natin,” she said.

Kilos Sambayanan was launched in Delpan Tondo last July 16 wherein several government agencies officials and representatives presented and explained their programs for better understanding of the people in the aim to make them aware how can they access them.

This was followed by social services and health caravan last August in Barangay Commonwealth in Quezon City to focus on the social welfare services and health for the public.