The poorest among us

cai's picture
Submitted by cai on Mon, 04/06/2009 - 9:57am

Before any of our local politicians relish the idea of running for office in May 2010 or any of our voters estimate how much politicians are going to spend on any of them in the coming polls, we should take a closer look at the real issues. One of these real issues is poverty. The National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) recently released its small area estimate (SAE) for poverty in the Philippines. Though poverty in Catanduanes is not that high based on 2003 data, it is still struggling to address this issue.

*i have written a news item below and attached a table for your reference.

==========
4 Towns in Catanduanes post poverty incidence of above 40%--NSCB

Around four municipalities in Catanduanes posted a poverty incidence of above 40 percent according to the 2003 City and Municipal
Level Poverty Estimates recently released by the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB).

The NSCB data showed that these municipalities are Pandan with the highest poverty incidence of 44.8 percent followed by Bagamanoc and Caramoran with 42.7 percent and Viga with 41.8 percent. This means that around four out of 10 residents of a municipality are said to be poor.

All the other municipalities posted a poverty incidence of above 30 percent with only two municipalities posting a poverty incidence of below 30 percent. These municipalities were Virac with a poverty incidence of 22.79 percent and Bato with 28.42 percent.

Overall, poverty incidence in Catanduanes was measured to be within the range of 22 to 44.8 percent. Poverty incidence in the province, however, were higher than estimates for mainland Albay but lower than Masbate, which remains the poorest in the region and one of the top 10 poorest provinces in the Philippines.

The NSCB study also measures the poverty gap and the severity of poverty in Catanduanes. In terms of poverty gap, this measures how much the shortfall in income is of those living below the poverty line while the severity of poverty measures the inequality among the poor.

The poverty gap in Caramoran is the highest in the province. This means that the per capita income of Filipino families living in Caramoran is 13.52 percent short of the poverty threshold. The lowest poverty gap was measured in Virac with only 6.1 percent.

Meanwhile, the municipality of Pandan experiences the most severe kind of poverty compared to other municipalities in the province with a severity of poverty of 5.9 percent. The municipality where poverty is the least severe in Catanduanes is Virac with 2.33 percent.

Poverty incidences of municipalities in the six provinces of the Bicol Region were relatively high, ranging from 22.8 percent to 72.5 percent, except for those located in the province of Albay. The NSCB said that it can be observed that relatively high poverty incidence is concentrated in the municipalities of Masbate, while municipalities with low poverty incidences are concentrated in Albay.

Highest poverty incidence in the Region was observed in Cawayan, Masbate at 72.5 percent, followed by San Pascual with 72 percent and Claveria, 69.6 percent, which are also located in Masbate.

These estimates were generated through the significant relation of income with variables like education-related variables, average family size, and housing materials.

The NSCB's Poverty Mapping Project was undertaken with funding assistance from the World Bank Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM) Trust Fund in 2004. The project made possible the release of 2000 poverty estimates for all the 1,623 municipalities in the country through small area estimation in 2005.

SAE is a statistical methodology that allows the estimation at lower levels of disaggregation by combining data from other sources such as the census, in addition to information collected from a survey.###

poor catanduanes??

loooping8's picture
Submitted by loooping8 on Fri, 09/24/2010 - 12:46pm.

the pepole of catanduanes must not be poor,when the money will be invest in a good way!
look around you! see the hundreds of useless lights what was building around the port in virac ,for all this useless lights its better to make the medicare free and the hospital.
this is only a example for waste money in catanduanes there are a lot of uslees buldings more like the useless canal in moowalk etc. the first priority must be to care and save the life of the pepole in catanduanes there is nothing else above that.when somebody build a house there must first build the foundation before he can set haloblocks!!!!
or more simple first you use the underware then the pan otherwise something will be wrong!!
the money for the tao is there ,its only in the wrong hands and waste in nonsens projects!!
all the budget will be in my hand i will tell you even the poorest tao will have a normal life in catanduanes,so far my simple few!!

poor catanduanes??

loooping8's picture
Submitted by loooping8 on Wed, 09/29/2010 - 8:25pm.

the pepole of catanduanes must not be poor,when the money will be invest in a good way!
look around you! see the hundreds of useless lights what was building around the port in virac ,for all this useless lights its better to make the medicare free and the hospital.
this is only a example for waste money in catanduanes there are a lot of uslees buldings more like the useless canal in moowalk etc. the first priority must be to care and save the life of the pepole in catanduanes there is nothing else above that.when somebody build a house there must first build the foundation before he can set haloblocks!!!!
or more simple first you use the underware then the pan otherwise something will be wrong!!
the money for the tao is there ,its only in the wrong hands and waste in nonsens projects!!
all the budget will be in my hand i will tell you even the poorest tao will have a normal life in catanduanes,so far my simple few and sorry about my english,ha?

THE POOREST AMONGST US

Submitted by Sweet Bikolana on Sun, 01/10/2010 - 1:18pm.

I should like to correct one point in the original post for accuracy sake. As far as I am aware the Gigmoto District Hospital has been operating since the late 70s.

Its my understanding that electricity was only supplied to Gigmoto in 1978 with the help of the senator of the day after blocking maneouvres from other quarters. I wonder if this is true and whether such delays to development have occurred in other areas of the island. This should alert us to be vigilant about the past performance of political candidates, and identify their business interests before voting them into power. We should be certain about their desire to help the people first and not themselves.

In any list there has to be an item finishing last. JOM makes a very good point. The report should to be used in a positive way as a tool for change.

Always remember: the power is with the people.

What is poor?

Submitted by islander518 on Fri, 04/24/2009 - 2:12am.

I am just curious. What is consider to be poor in Catanduanes/Bicol Region? What is the total annual household income considered to be in this stat? I did not really see the amount in your report Cai. Can you please tell me if you have the info. Thanks!

poor census

bahi's picture
Submitted by bahi on Mon, 04/06/2009 - 2:00pm.

"Meanwhile, the municipality of Pandan experiences the most severe kind of poverty compared to other municipalities in the province with a severity of poverty of 5.9 percent. The municipality where poverty is the least severe in Catanduanes is Virac with 2.33 percent. "

Being a pandananon it means to us when we are being looked at and it means to us even more when someone looked down upon us. while the world bank assertion is not believable although we wonder if it is true at this moment, may i speak what i know and what i have seen during those abundant and glorious days of Pandan.

First, politically and in business we are what you call the most involved. first we have some governors, assemblyman, ambassador, generals, senator. the first senator of bicol is from the vera perez clan of Pandan. The first cardinal in Rome is from the Sanchez clan of Pandan. At one time the President and CEO of PLDT is also a Pandananon.We value education as way to combat poverty so much so that many of us are schooled in the mainland and Metro Manila. I say that we experience poverty but to say that we are in the bottom is an abstract fault. Pandan is vibrant then and now. From the time of Don Juan we are even making trade as far as Tayabas in Quezon and even in Laguna using ship that is built in our town. We have a big hospital and two secondary schools and one tertiary school. why Gigmoto doesnt even have a hospital. di ba sila kasali? We have a phletora of medical practitioners and sea farers all around the globe. I am even amazed that many typhoon proofed houses are built in just a short period of time in all places in Pandan. It seems that we are reaping the rewards of education that we so passionately desired.

While the report is not believable, we will take it as a challenge for us to aspire for more. But i encourage ms cai (the forum starter) and the world bank people to come and experience the holy week in Pandan. By being there, i think they will realize that what we lack in the so called wealth we will surely make up in the richness of our faith. Seeing the people there i am sure they will realize that Pandan is not really found in the northern part of Catanduanes but of the GLOBE.

About Pandan...

Submitted by kmae on Mon, 01/11/2010 - 1:14pm.

"I am even amazed that many typhoon proofed houses are built in just a short period of time in all places in Pandan. It seems that we are reaping the rewards of education that we so passionately desired...we will take it as a challenge for us to aspire for more."

True! Let's take that as a challenge.
Proud to be a Pandananon.

statistics and pandan

cai's picture
Submitted by cai on Tue, 04/14/2009 - 10:26am.

Bahi, it was never my intention to put catandunganons from pandan down by writing about the data that NSCB released. i was simply reporting the results of their survey. i admit that there are flaws in the data that NSCB released...for one, it is very old...2003 data can hardly be considered reliable since it is already 7 years old. but i simply wanted to open our eyes to the fact that while many of us may not consider ourselves as among the poorest in the province, there are those who are worse off than us and that we should focus on them more. this, i think, is a very important consideration especially at this time when elections are just around the corner. if at all, this article was made to touch the conscience of our leaders who seem only to care about the kickbacks they get and the power and influence they exercise in the course of their terms, which, unfortunately, seldom benefits those who are TRULY in need.

like you, i also do not believe that the poorest people in catanduanes come from pandan. i have been to pandan, believe me and i know the people you mentioned. in fact, im even related to the vera perezes on my grandmother's side (my lola cion's mother is a vera). knowing that, it makes poverty a more relevant issue because the gap between the rich and the poor may be significant and that data collection may not be as accurate as we would like it to be.

having said this, i feel that this data released by the NSCB should also be analyzed by the province' statisticians to help them evaluate what went wrong in their data collection and information gathering that makes statistics inaccurate. the local government must also invest in statistics for better and more efficient planning in the future.

if only these recommendations would be heeded, maybe catanduanes will be able to eradicate poverty. i look forward to that day when all catandunganons have the same kind and amount of food on their tables, enjoy the same benefits, and be able to fight for their dreams and aspirations. hopefully, it will not take so long for this to happen.

STATISTICS

Jorge O. Macenas's picture
Submitted by Jorge O. Macenas on Wed, 04/15/2009 - 9:03am.

The NSCB statistics should be taken in a positive context. I trust the survey doesn’t intend to “look down upon” the municipalities at the bottom level of the poverty incidence index. It is meant to identify the area where poverty is more prevalent, and determine probable cause of poverty. Problem solving starts with identifying the root cause of the problem. This is where the NSCB survey plays a pivotal role.

The survey should not be used either as a tool for political bashing and blame game.

While it is true there are a number of native sons and daughters making good in their chosen vocations, it is not a representative measure of well being of the people in a given municipality. It rather shows the wide gap between the successful few whose names can ring a bell and the many poor kababayans whose name remain anonymous while wallowing in grinding poverty.

misunderstood

bahi's picture
Submitted by bahi on Sat, 04/18/2009 - 6:41pm.

lest i may be misunderstood as blaming and bashing. let me clear my point. i am not blaming the nscb report. in fact i believe that it can be of help, meaning our municipality should adopt statistics such as the one they made. in fact even more optimal than what they made. wondering and shutting down on issues is a different thing.i do not and will never bash politician and politics ever. i will speak what i know and what i have seen. but i am sure as the day will follow night that it is true.

meantime pandananons will never accept that they are in the bottom. if we are, some areas in catanduanes should be in our league. if some of us are eating gamat, i am sure some people in other areas are also eating the same food. Catanduanes is a very small island during typhoon season and one will never be better than the other.

anyway jorge i want to see the full report too. my bs statistics and bs math buddy here would go as far as langob to be able to check. i hope our leaders in pandan should see this. they should make their acts together because i do not want to defend our town on issues like this for too long.

agree

bahi's picture
Submitted by bahi on Tue, 04/14/2009 - 6:55pm.

i agree that excellent statistician and quality statistics should be foremost in both local and provincial government. It helps the leaders in their decision making.No more of this nonsense flower boxes and dredging. instead of name of politicians being advertised in painted marine plywoods, why not statistics of relevant datas? By doing so, people will see through the accounting and the business that the local and provincial government are administering.

Invest in mathematics and science and the future may look bright. Learning curves and rockets. Plan the future. We can do ms cai. we can dream. we can achieve.

sorry

bahi's picture
Submitted by bahi on Tue, 04/14/2009 - 6:35pm.

sorry ms cai. i am just wary that this being in the cloud can be accessed by many Pandananon businessmen all around the world and may think twice in investing in our hometown.

Kamaradas mo paran sa manay gina. kainum inuman namo dito si lander pag ga bakasyon sa Pandan boda pag nangga ka narangas kami sa sampaguita. Sayang nawara na yo sampaguita pictures. Many Pandananons are employed from clapper to camera men ninyo mga panahon dun.

Ona buhay pa baga si manay nene. adun yun ninto sa sampaguita cmpd. pag tiga bisitaha ninyo man ta naogma man yun na iga bisita siya.

a note

cai's picture
Submitted by cai on Sun, 04/05/2009 - 10:36am.

due to the lag in the data and estimates of the NSCB, it would be useful for all of us, especially our politicians, to evaluate what has happened from 2003 to 2009. did we regress or progress? did our politicians sit idly by and not do anything to improve the lives of our people? these are just some of the questions that come to mind but are worth examining. it would also be more useful to reflect on this during the holy week.