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Ikinadismaya ng Ecumenical Institute for Labor and Education and Research (EILER) ang kakulangan ng National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) na makita ang tunay na kalagayan ng mga mahihirap na sektor sa bansa.
Ayon sa Institusyon, bukod sa halaga ng pagkain at gastusin ng isang pamilya kada araw ay mahalagang isaalang-alang ang nutrisyon ng pagkain at kalidad ng pamumuhay araw-araw.
“Working Filipinos and their families are struggling to cope with the rising costs of food and other basic goods. For instance, the current daily minimum wage of ₱645 in the NCR, the highest among all regions, is only half of the family living wage—the amount needed for a family of five to maintain a decent standard of living. If ₱64 is spent on food per day for each family member, it would consume half of the worker’s daily wage,” ayon sa mensahe ng EILER.
Giit pa ng EILER, nananatili din sa poverty threshold at ang pinakamataas na 645-pesos Minimum Wage sa National Capital Region ay kalahati lamang ng isinusulong na Family Living Wage, na 1,200-pesos kada araw.
Kasunod ito sa itinakdang World Bank Standards kung saan ang Pilipinas ay nananatili sa ‘lower-middle-income-country’ na nararanasan ang food poverty.
“Setting the food poverty line at such a low threshold masks the true extent of food and economic insecurity of millions of Filipinos. The government seeks to artificially reach poverty reduction targets while limiting public resource allocation to programs combating aggregate poverty at the expense of struggling Filipinos that fall just above the low threshold. In downplaying the severity of poverty, the Marcos, Jr. administration fails to address the urgent demands of workers for living wages,” bahagi pa ng mensahe ng EILER.
Reaksyon ito ng EILER sa pahatag ng NEDA ngayong Agosto na hindi maituturing na mahirap ang mamamayan na gumagastos ng higit sa 64-piso kada araw para sa kanilang pagkain.
