The National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) has underscored its vital role in advancing the government’s social development and poverty-alleviation agenda through its active participation in the Social Development Committee (SDC) of the Economy and Development Council.
In a Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon interview on Tuesday, NAPC Secretary Lope Santos III said the SDC is mandated to craft and implement policies and programs on education, health, employment, and social services, including concerns of migrant workers.
He said the NAPC’s involvement is crucial, as its mandate aligns with poverty alleviation efforts and the Magna Carta of the Poor.
Among the NAPC’s priorities under the SDC is the implementation of the National Anti-Poverty Action Agenda, which integrates the government’s social development framework with sectoral concerns.
The Commission has also been pushing landmark measures in Congress such as the National Land Use Act, Magna Carta of Children, and Magna Carta of Young Farmers.
Santos said the NAPC works closely with SDC member-agencies including the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, Department of Agriculture, Department of Health, Department of Agriculture, Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development, and Department of Education through institutional partnerships and regular dialogues with farmers, fisherfolk, workers, women, youth, and other basic sectors.
“So, magkakasama iyong NAPC, at sila din ay mga pawang kasapi ng (So, together with the NAPC, they also are part of the) Social Development Committee,” he said.
Santos said the Magna Carta of the Poor guarantees five fundamental rights —education, health, work, housing, and adequate food—with “champion agencies” assigned to each. The NAPC helps monitor these commitments through the SDC framework.
To ensure that poverty-reduction strategies are grounded in real community needs, the NAPC and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) recently issued a joint memorandum circular directing local governments to craft Local Poverty Reduction Action Plans based on data from the Philippine Statistics Authority’s Community-Based Monitoring System and local government unit ecological profiles.
Santos admitted, however, that challenges remain at the implementation level.
“Ang real challenge ay nandoon sa implementation ng mga programa na inaprubahan ng Social Development Committee which means nandoon sa ground, sa local government units, sa mga communities at the regional level (The real challenge lies in the implementation of the programs approved by the Social Development Committee, which means it’s on the ground, with the local government units, the communities, and at the regional level),” he said.
“Nandoon iyong challenge, and you know, participation and dynamics of stakeholders matter in program implementation. So, nandoon iyong malaking challenge (That’s where the challenge lies, and you know, the participation and dynamics of stakeholders matter in program implementation. So, that’s where the major challenge is),” he added.
Moving forward, the NAPC is advocating for a recalibration of programs to focus resources on priority areas such as farming and fishing communities, indigenous peoples, conflict-affected zones, geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas or GIDAs, informal settlements, and disaster-prone regions.
He also highlighted the NAPC’s participation in efforts to address insurgency-related issues, noting its new role as co-chair of the sectoral unification and capacity-building cluster of National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict.
“We will promote dialogue among all sectors of society to strengthen unity and prevent conflict or rebellion. Instead of fighting through armed rebellion, let us channel our struggle toward fighting poverty,” he said.
The NAPC vowed to continue advocating for bigger budgets for sustainable livelihood and social development programs, both at the national and local levels, to accelerate inclusive and sustainable development. (PNA)