The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao is once again the poorest region in the country with more than half its families classified as poor, official statistics from the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) showed.

Poverty incidence in ARMM, according to the 2006 Official Poverty Statistics, reached 55.3 percent, a 9.9 percent increase from 2003’s 45.4 percent.

This is not the first time that ARMM’s registered the highest poverty incidence. In 2000, the region was the country’s poorest with a 53.8 percent poverty incidence. Three years later, it was dislodged as the poorest region by CARAGA (Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur). 

Statistics showed that the incidence of poverty in the pre-dominantly Muslim region is more than two times the national average of 26.9 percent.

Incidentally, three of ARMM’s six provinces—Tawi-tawi, Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur—were also among the ten poorest provinces in the country in 2006.

Tawi-tawi had the highest poverty incidence of 78.9 percent among 81 provinces. This means that almost eight out of ten families in this province do not earn the minimum income to meet their food and non-food needs. Maguindanao had the third highest poverty incidence at 62 percent while Lanao del Sur ranked sixth with 52.5 percent.

Other ARMM provinces, meanwhile, like Basilan and Sulu had poverty incidence rates of 31.7 and 46.5, respectively. Data for the newly-created province of Shariff Kabunsuan, however, were unavailable.

Asst. Secretary Dolores de Quiros Castillo of the National Anti-Poverty Commission said the high poverty incidence in the region can be attributed to the volatile peace and order situation because “the conflict has displaced many families.”

“Alleviating poverty is difficult if you have so many displaced families,” Castillo said adding that more assistance from government is needed by these families.

Aside from ARMM, among the regions with the highest poverty incidences were CARAGA (45.5%),  Region IV-B or MIMAROPA (43.7), Bicol Region (41.8), and Eastern Samar (40.7)

MIMAROPA is composed of the provinces of Marinduque, Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Palawan, and Romblon.

Regions in Luzon, meanwhile, registered the lower poverty incidence. Among the 17 regions, Metro Manila had the lowest poverty incidence of 7.1 percent, a 2.2 percent increase from 2003.

Other regions with the lowest poverty incidence were Metro Manila’s neighbors CALABARZON and Central Luzon with 16.7 and 16.8 percent, respectively. Also included in the top five regions with low poverty incidence are CagayanValley (20.5) and Ilocos Region (26.2).

Only four regions registered a decrease in poverty incidence between 2003 and 2006 compared to 13 regions between 2000 and 2003. Among the regions where poverty incidence declined are Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, CARAGA and Western Visayas.

Experts said that the increase in poverty incidence in most parts of the country were caused by higher value added tax rate, accelerated increase in food prices from 2003 to 2006, higher oil prices, and typhoons that visited the country during the last two months of 2006.

Socio-economic Planning Secretary Augusto B. Santos said the government’s effort to solve fiscal deficit “put upward initial pressure” on inflation.

“While economic growth was respectable at 5.4 percent on the average between 2003-2006, pressures of higher oil prices and the large fiscal deficit in 2004 affected the most vulnerable sector of the society—the poor.” (abscbnNews.com/Newsbreak)

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