WV falls short of MDG target; poverty incidence at 31.1%

By Francis Allan L. Angelo

WESTERN Visayas lags in achieving four key targets of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (UN-MDGs), according to the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA).

The key MDG targets are the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, universal coverage of primary education, reduction of child mortality and improved maternal health care. The Philippines, which signed the MDG pact, is supposed to meet 50% of the target indicators by 2015.

Latest data from NEDA and National Statistical and Coordination Board (NSCB) showed that poverty incidence in Western Visayas is pegged at 31.1%.

Antique has the highest poverty incidence at 43%, Aklan (42.6%), Guimaras (35.2%) Negros Occidental (33. 4%) Capiz (24.3%) and Iloilo (24. 1%).

In education, seven schools divisions in the region – the cities of Silay, Bago, Kabankalan, Sagay and San Carlos in Negros Occidental and Roxas City – are cellar dwellers in the recent National Achievement Test among 40 school divisions in the country.

For school year 2007-2008, the dropout rate among elementary pupils was 2.43% or equivalent to 23,925 pupils. Some 6.63% of secondary student or 31,781 students, dropped out in the same school year.

The NEDA report identified poverty, health, health and nutrition, accessibility to education facilities and child labor especially in Negros Occidental as factors for the high dropout rate.

In terms of child mortality in 2008, Western Visayas’ 43 deaths per 1,000 live births exceeded the national rate of 34 per 1,000 live births.

A similar trend was also observed in mortality rate for infants. Western Visayas recorded 39 infant deaths 1,000 live births in 2008, while the national rate is 25 per 1,000 live births.

Maternal mortality rate per 1,000 live births in 2009 in the region was at 68.47%.

Despite the troubling figures, Estela Paredes of NEDA’s Knowledge Management Division (KMD) said the region’s performance in developing global partnership for development was good.

Paredes said there is a big chance that the region would be able to meet the goals for promotion of gender equality and empowerment, combating of Human Immuno Virus-Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV-AIDS), malaria and others and ensuring environmental sustainability.

Paredes said local government units (LGUs) are key to achieving MDG goals by 2015.

Paredes said LGU participation is a must in health such as immunization and the augmentation of teachers, school facilities and scholarships to meet the goal on education.

“We would be able to improve our performance if all levels of government most especially from the barangay up to the national government with the help of the private sector help each other,” Paredes said.

She said they will prepare and present the performance of each province to the Regional Development Council (RDC) so that local chief executives would know how far they have achieved. (With reports from PNA)