Nearly 1 out of 5 Filipinos now live in poverty: gov't statistics

More Filipinos have become poor in the past 3 years, government statistics show (File)

Almost one of every five Filipinos is mired in poverty, according to the Preliminary Results of the Family Income and Expenditure Survey (FIES) released today by the Philippine Statistics Authority.

PSA also reported that poverty has spread to more people, increasing from 16.7 per cent of the population in 2018 to 18.1 per cent in 2021.

Poverty -- defined by PSA as earning an income below the minimum of PhP12,030 monthly required to meet the food and non-food needs of a family of five -- engulfed the equivalent to 19.99 million people in 2021, the latest statistics show

Those living in subsistence, or earning less than the  PhP8,379 per month needed to meet just their basic food requirements, increased from 5.2 percent to 5.9 percent.

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Poverty incidence among families stood at around 3.50 million families or 13.2 per cent in 2021, the PSA reported. 

On the other hand, the subsistence incidence among families was observed at 3.9 percent, which is equivalent to 1.04 million poor families below the food poverty line.

The incidence of poverty among families was lowest in Metro Manila at 2.2 per cent and highest in Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao/Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM/BARMM) at 29.8 per cent.

In terms of specific places, the first district of National Capital Region (which is Manila) had the lowest family poverty incidence at 1.1 per cent, while Sulu in ARMM had the highest at 51 per cent.

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PSA also reported that the average income of Filipino families from January to December 2021 was estimated at PhP307,190, lower by -2.0 percent from the PhP313,350 in the same period of 2018. 

On the average, the Filipino families spent PhP228,800 in 2021, a decrease of 4.1 percent compared to the PhP 238,640 in 2018. 

The declines were even bigger when measured at constant 2018 prices, which is obtained by adjusting the estimates with the 2018 inflation rate; the average annual family income in 2021 stood at PhP282,080 while expenditures stood at  PhP210,100.

Again, the biggest earners were those in the National Capital Region (NCR), where annual family income in 2021 averaged at PhP417,850. 

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Four of the country’s 17 regions posted higher average annual family income compared to the national average of PhP 307.19 thousand: NCR (PhP417,850), Region IV-A (PhP 361,030), Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) (PhP 350,430), and Region III (PhP 328,540). 

Again, Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) registered the lowest average annual family income of PhP184,940. 

Among provinces and Highly Urbanized Cities (HUCs), Makati City registered the highest average annual family income of PhP 579,570 in 2021. On the other hand, the lowest average annual family income in 2021 was noted in Sulu at PhP 159,300.  In terms of the growth in the average annual family income from 2018 to 2021, Lanao del Sur posted the highest growth rate of 42.9 per cent, followed by Camarines Norte (27.6%), Apayao (22.7%), Batanes (22.2%), and Eastern Samar (21.9%).

Comparing the average annual family income in 2018 and 2021, the top five provinces and HUCs that posted the highest negative growth rate were, Mandaluyong City (-28.5%), Cebu City (-20.4%), Las Piñas City (-19.5%), Pateros (-17.7%), and Bohol (-15.7%). 

In terms of the average annual family expenditure, the top five provinces with the highest growth rate in average annual family expenditure from 2018 to 2021 were Lanao del Sur (63.6%), Batanes (29.6%), Kalinga (21.8%), Misamis Occidental (19.0%), and Zamboanga del Sur excluding Zamboanga City (18.3%). 

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Another toddler in ICU after catching Covid; 4,896 new cases reported

By The SUN 

The government has stepped up the campaign to get more kids inoculated  

Health officials have again called on parents to get their children vaccinated against Covid-19 as another infected toddler was put under intensive care Monday after developing croup, a respiratory infection.

Dr Lau Ka-hin of the Hospital Authority said during the daily press brieifing that the two-year-old boy developed a fever and flu-like symptoms on Friday. Earlier today, he started having shortness of breath so he was rushed to hospital.

His condition was initially classified as critical but he is now said to be stable. However, he still had to undergo tracheal intubation and remains under observation in the intensive care unit.

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Separately, government expert Prof Lau Yu-lung said that the boy did not get jabs, and some of his family members have confirmed cases. The side-effect is common among young children.

“The airways of toddlers are more narrow than adults,’ which can easily lead the patients to coma due to lack of oxygen if they get an infection in the airway and suffer with its swelling,” Prof Lau said.

Croup killed a 22-month-old girl on Aug 1, just days after she was airlifted from Lamma Island and rushed to Eastern Hospital.

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On Saturday, a girl aged eight years and nine months was also rushed to hospital after contracting Covid, and is suspected of also having croup. Her condition is still listed as critical.

The doctors said there has been an increase in the number of infected children developing croup lately, so early diagnosis plus vaccination is crucial.

The expert said around 2.6 percent of children aged between six months and three years have had a Covid jab since it was made available to this age group on Aug 4, which he said was “a tiny number.”

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Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan of the Centre for Health Protection said children make up a big number of those who needed hospitalization after testing positive for the virus.

“The ratio of toddlers under three years old who were confirmed with Covid take up 1.8 percent of the whole cases,” Chuang said, “and the percentage of children between three to nine years old is 5.5%.”

Meanwhile, a total of 4,896 cases were reported today, of which 197 were imported.  There were four related deaths.

The latest fatalities were aged 63 to 91, with the youngest of them not getting vaccinated or receiving any treatment for Covid despite testing positive.

The man tested positive on Aug7 and did not receive treatment until he tested negative on Aug 13. But his condition turned for the worse yesterday and he was certified dead at the hospital.

Lau it is important for the elderly to go for medical consultation as soon as they test positive for Covid.

“People aged above 60 should seek treatment as soon as possible no matter if any symptom appears,” Lau stressed, “and encouraged to take Covid oral drugs.”

A total of 1,783 patients are now receiving treatment in public hospitals, after 230 more patients were admitted over the past 24 hours.

Among them, 29 are in critical condition and 12 of these patients are in intensive care.

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Workers on amber code must be allowed to work & get full pay, says labor chief

By The SUN

 

Sun says workers on amber health code should be allowed to work and get paid (RTHK photo)

In a statement that should apply even to newly arrived foreign domestic workers, Secretary for Labour Chris Sun said Sunday that employers should not prevent people with an amber health code on their LeaveHomeSafe app from working – and if they are unable to do so, their salary should still be paid.

Speaking on TV, Sun said: "People with the amber code should be allowed to go to work because the conditions exist for them to do so. Of course they need to observe certain Covid rules at work, such as wearing masks at all times, and eating alone. If these rules are followed, employers should allow them to go to work.”

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"But if for some reason they are not able to go to work, employers should still pay them."

He added that the worker must not be required to take a sick leave during this period.

Those who are currently put under an amber or yellow health code are inbound travelers who are required to undergo medical surveillance for four days after spending three days in a designated quarantine hotel.

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During this time, they are not allowed to enter certain premises which are deemed high-risk, or where they are allowed to take off their masks, such as restaurants. But they are allowed to go to work or attend school, and even take public transport.

Last week, the Labour Department issued a statement saying newly arrived foreign domestic workers, like everyone else, should stay for only three days in a quarantine hotel.

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If employers choose to keep their FDWs away from their homes for a longer time, they must move them to a non-designated quarantine hotel, hostel or flat of their choice.

Implicit in this is that the employer must pay the FDW during the medical surveillance period – a rule that the labour chief just made clearer.

Meanwhile, local health authorities reported 4,979 additional Covid-19 cases Saturday, 215 of them imported.

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Three related deaths were also reported, involving two men and one woman aged 80 to 89. The overall death tally of the fifth wave now stands at 9,352.

They also said that a five-year-old girl remains in critical condition, a day after she was rushed to Tuen Mun Hospital.

She tested positive for the coronavirus on Friday and her condition deteriorated quickly. The girl is unvaccinated.

Her 11-year-old sister also tested positive yesterday and is stable condition. She has received full vaccination.

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Government doctors say they have yet to determine the source of transmission in the girls’ cases, or the kind of Omicron sub-variant they have been infected with.

Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan of the Centre for Health Protection said they have observed a further rise in the number of suspected BA.4 or BA.5 cases.

Chuang said the two variants now make up 23.1 percent of the local cases, while the previously dominant strain, BA.2.12.1, now accounts for just 7.3 percent.

A total of 1,690 Covid patients are now receiving treatment in various public hospitals. Among them, 31 are in critical condition, including 10 who are in intensive care, while 22 are seriously ill.

HK loses appeal to migrant workers

By Daisy CL Mandap

 

Many Filipino DHs have left for good because of HK's strict entry and contract processing rules

Hong Kong is fast losing its sheen for foreign domestic helpers - a likely outcome of various factors, from Covid-related restrictions, the mass exodus of local residents, and the much-feared policy against job hopping.

Statistics from the Immigration Department show that the number of FDHs in Hong Kong has continued its downward trend since last year, despite the lifting of the travel ban on the Philippines and Indonesia, the biggest sources of migrant workers in the city, at the start of April.

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The decline year-on-year, or between July 2021 and July this year, amounted to 12,717 for Filipino DHs, or 6.3%, over the 12-month period.

In July 2021, the total number of Filipino DHs was 201,425. The number fell progressively over the next 12 months, so that by the end of last month, it had gone down to just 188,708.

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Significantly, while the Hong Kong ban on incoming passenger flights from the Philippines was enforced between Jan 8 to Mar 31 this year, a huge drop in the total number of Filipino DHs was recorded, indicating thousands were taking the one-way trip home  

From a total of 189,889 at end of January, the Filipino DH population shrank to just 184,685 by end of March, or a difference of 5,202.

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That would have meant many Filipino DHs opting to go home for good, likely due to Covid fatigue or worries about the massive, out-of-control surge in local infections.

But as expected, the lifting of the flight ban led to a boost in FDH figures, albeit temporarily. By the end of April the number was up 1,981, to 186,666. This went up further by a massive 4,729 in end-May, when the population swelled to 189,414.

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Since then, the number started dipping again, dropping by 238 in June, and 944 in July. This left the current overall figure at 188,708 – lower than that for January this year, and wiping all the gains that were made in the first half of the year.

The figures were nearly the same for Indonesians, who lost a total of 11,943 of their workers in the past year, and 588 in the past month. (see data below).

Overall, the FDH population across all ethnic groups also fell by more than 20,000 for the past year. The total figure as of July 2022 is 334,584, compared with 354,776 for the same month last year.

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A similar drop was recorded in the number of FDH whose visa applications were denied by Immigration on suspicion of job hopping, or those who supposedly switch employers on a whim.

Last year, a total of 2,833 visa applications were rejected for this reason, or an average of 236 a month, according to Immigration figures. Between January to July this year, the number was down to 1,163 or an average of 166.

More significantly, the attrition rate for FDHs (6.3%) is much higher than that for residents who are leaving Hong Kong. According to government statistics, a total of 133,000 residents left the city last year, for a 1.69% drop.

Not too long ago, many overseas-bound Filipino workers would have gladly chosen Hong Kong as their destination place, instead of far-off countries where the salary is lower and the working conditions are much tougher.

But with the city holding fast to its policy of requiring inbound travelers to undergo home quarantine and upholding the two-week rule for most FDHs whose contracts get terminated, it is likely that the downward trend will continue.

The pandemic, which continues to keep the world in its grip, could cause additional problems.

Given a choice, however, Filipino workers would still gladly come, quarantine and all, not least because the exchange rate between the USD and the Philippine currency is now at a 15-year-high.

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5-year-old girl with Covid in critical condition as caseload tops 5,300

By The SUN

 

Doctors are calling on parents to get their children aged 6 months and older, to get vaccinated

Health authorities are calling for more children to be vaccinated against Covid-19 as they reported the case of an unvaccinated five-year-old girl who is fighting for her life in a hospital after coming down with the coronavirus.

The call was made as the Centre for Health Protection reported an additional 5,308 cases on Saturday, the highest daily tally since the first week of April.

Of the 220 patients admitted to hospital yesterday, 19 were children below the age of three.

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Dr Gladys Kwan, a chief manager of the Hospital Authority, said the sick girl had a fever, and tested positive on Friday. Her condition deteriorated quickly and she was rushed to Tuen Mun Hospital where she is now in the children’s intensive care unit.

Kwan said they have yet to confirm the Covid sub-variant the girl was infected with, and are still investigating her case.

But because an unvaccinated 22-month-old girl who was taken to hospital recently in poor condition was found to have cerebral encephalitis, they are not ruling out this possibility in the five-year-old patient.

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"Whether [her Covid infection] is causing encephalitis or other conditions, we are still doing the investigation. So at this point it is quite difficult for us to draw a conclusion," she said.

But she said there is a chance that this could have also happened in the second case because children who get the virus have been found to be more susceptible to developing inflammation of the central nervous system or encephalitis.

Kwan urged parents to get their children vaccinated as soon as possible, saying it is proven to be most effective way to prevent serious illness, or death, due to the coronavirus.

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Earlier in the day, Health Secretary Lo Chung-mau made the same call, saying he was concerned with the low vaccination rate of children below three years old.

The government recently approved the vaccination of children between six months and three years old, although the Sinovac jab is the only one available for them at this time.

Lo said the government is still in the process of acquiring BioNTech vaccine for toddlers as the formulation is different from that for adults.

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Meanwhile, of the day's total infections, 160 were imported cases - 26 were identified at the airport, 95 in quarantine hotels, and 39 after the patients had ended quarantine. 

There are now a total of 1,604 Covid patients receiving treatment in public hospitals. They include 32 who are in critical condition, 25 in serious condition, while 11 of those listed as critical are in intensive care units.

Three more related deaths were recorded, involving three elderly women aged between 85 and 91.

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The oldest fatality who had received four jabs against Covid, fainted at home on Friday and was already dead when taken to hospital. She was just released from hospital after testing positive for Covid in July.

Kwan said her case has been referred to the Coroner for investigation.

She again called on elderly people stricken with Covid to seek medical attention as soon as possible even if they only had mild symptoms, as these could lead to a rapid deterioration in their condition.

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Hindi pwedeng magkaso kung pumayag sa ilegal na trabaho, ayon sa Labour Tribunal

 

Hindi umusad ang kaso ng isang Pilipina sa Labour Tribunal pero may natutunan naman siyang paraan kung paano matagumpay na magreklamo laban sa amo.

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Dumulog sa Labour Tribunal ang isang Pilipina upang ireklamo na niloko siya ng kanyang mga amo at singilin ang mga dapat bayaran sa kanya. Hindi pinayagang umusad ang kanyang kaso, pero ang mga dahilan dito ay pwedeng magsilbing aral para sa lahat.

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Kakaiba ang kasong inihain ni RSV, isang Pilipinang domestic helper, sa Labour Tribunal.

Sa mga kaso na dinudulog sa Tribunal, laging ang nakapirmang amo o kumpanya lang ang inirereklamo ng isa o mahigit pang manggagawa. Pero sa reklamong isinampa ni RSV ay tatlong employer ang kanyang kinasuhan,  na tatawagin nating Defendant 1 (D1), Defendant 2 (D2) at Defendant 3 (D3).

Sinabi ni RSV na sa unang kontrata niya, ang pumirma ay si D1. Sa ikalawang kontrata naman ay pumirma si D2.

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Tinanong siya ng presiding officer na si W. H. Pun kung bakit kasama si D3 sa kaso kung hindi naman siya pumirma sa kontrata.

Ang paliwanag ni RSV,  na pinagtrabaho siya kay D3 ng dalawang pumirma ng kontrata, at si D3 din ang nagbayad ng kanyang suweldo,  ay naka-alarma kay Pun.

“Ang sinasabi mo sa akin ay pagkukumpisal ng isang kriminal na gawain,” ika niya. “Ang ginawa mo ay malamang na maging problema para sa iyo.”

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Ang pagtatrabaho sa taong hindi pumirma ng kontrata ng isang dayuhang DH ay paglabag sa mga kondisyon nang binigyan siya ng visa, paliwanag ni Pun.

Sumagot si RSV na dumulog nga siya sa Tribunal dahil gusto niyang pa-imbestigahan ang ipinagawa sa kanya.

“Pero wala kaming kapangyarihang mag-imbestiga,” ani Pun.

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Nang tanungin naman niya si RSV kung nagreklamo na si RSV sa Immigration tungkol dito, sumagot ito ng hindi dahil hindi niya alam ang gagawin.

“Kapag ipinilit mo ang ganitong takbo sa iyong reklamo at nakarating ang kaso sa husgado, kahit manalo ka pa, posibleng magkaroon ng resultang hindi mo magugustuhan. Posibleng idemanda ka ng Immigration Department, at kanselahin ang iyong visa.”

Pinayuhan niya sa RSV na kumusulta sa abogado kung gusto niyang ipilit ang ganitong linya ng reklamo.

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Tinanong naman ni Pun kung saan nakatira ang tatlong inireklamo ni RSV.

Nang sabihin ni RSV na magkakahiwalay sila ng bahay, tinanong siya kung bakit iisa ang address na ginamit niya para padalhan ng kopya ng kanyang reklamo ang tatlo.

Kailangan ng korte ang tamang address ng mga inirereklamo, paliwanag ni Pun, dahil kung hindi nila natanggap ang reklamo, hindi pwedeng umusad ang kaso laban sa kanila.

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Nang sabihin ni RSV na umalis na sa Hong Kong si D3, na siyang tunay na may atraso sa kanya, sinabi ni Pun na ang korte ay may kapangyarihan lamang sa mga taong nasa loob ng Hong Kong.

Ang huling tinalakay ni Pun ay ang hinahabol ni RSV na hindi pa nabayarang suweldo, taunang bakasyon at mga statutory holiday.

Pinansin niya na walang paliwanag si RSV kung bakit nagkautang ng ganito ang mga inireklamo niya.

“Kailangan mong ipaliwanag at magbigay ka ng ebidensiya kung bakit dapat kang bayaran para sa mga ito,” ika ni Pun.

Sa huli ay binigyan ni Pun si RSV ng panahong pag-isipang mabuti kung paano niya ipiprisinta ang kanyang kaso. “Ayaw kong pagsisihan mo ang iyong napiling direksyon.” dagdag niya.

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