The National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) on Tuesday said there is a need to review baselines for determining food thresholds and the number of food-poor individuals.

In a statement, NAPC Secretary Lope Santos III said targets and measurements must be recalibrated, focusing on 740,000 families classified as food-poor or those whose incomes fall short of meeting their basic food requirements.

“Beyond mere numbers and prices, many families are at an advantage,” he said. “We expect that the revised metrics will more accurately reflect the real food needs of the poor.”

An update on the metrics used by the Philippine Statistics Authority would ensure that the government’s poverty-related initiatives are timely, accurate, and responsive, and keep poverty-reduction efforts in pace with inflation and other economic trends, he added.

Earlier, the National Economic and Development Authority said the poverty incidence in the country has been on a downward trend, decreasing to 15.5 percent in 2023 from 18.1 percent in 2021.

However, statistics “should match lived realities”, Santos said, adding that NAPC is willing to participate in the review process of the baselines, methodologies, and metrics.

The NAPC urged concerned government agencies, non-government agencies, and local government units to engage in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of poverty reduction programs to optimize available resources for the poor. (PNA)