The National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) and the Philippine Reclamation Authority have discussed poverty-reduction projects for the fisherfolk sector, coastal communities, and reclamation sites.

In a news release on Tuesday, the NAPC said PRA Chair Alex Lopez tackled his agency’s Social Development and Management Program (SDMP) with NAPC Secretary Lope Santos III in a meeting on Monday.

The SDMP is PRA’s commitment to sustainable development which involves collaboration with partners in addressing gaps in education, infrastructure, livelihood, and socio-cultural resources of communities near reclamation areas.

Lopez committed to link NAPC with investors and corporations to contribute to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s goal of reducing the national poverty incidence rate to just 8.8 percent by 2028.

Latest data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed that the country’s poverty rate already declined to 22.4 percent in the first half of 2023 from 23.7 percent in 2021.

Santos offered NAPC’s expertise in facilitating capacity-building trainings and conducting social preparation activities to ensure all stakeholders will enjoy the benefits afforded by reclamation projects.

He underscored the need for targeting danger zone areas, providing livelihood options for the urban poor, and building decent housing in resettlement areas, while mobilizing resources and ensuring coordination efforts with concerned government agencies such as the Department of Labor and Employment and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority. (PNA)