MAY 8, 2015

NR # 3825B

The Philippines remains poor UN Human Development Report

The latest United Nations Human Development Report has ranked the Philippines as 117 th
in the list of 187 poor countries in the world.
This prompted Rep. Rufus B. Rodriguez (2 nd district, Cagayan de Oro City) to file House
Resolution 2010 urging the House Committee on Poverty Alleviation to determine why the
Philippines is still included in the list despite governments claim that the economy is improving.
Rodriguez said in the 2014 UN report on Sustaining Human Progress, Reducing
Vulnerability and Building Resilience, the Philippines was 117 th in the list of 187 poor nations
and while the country moved up one notch, it is still ranked very low.
Rodriguez said the Philippines is ranked among Egypt, Paraguay, Gabon, Bolivia, El
Salvador, Uzbekistan, South Africa, Syria, and Iraq which are in 100 to 120 levels, respectively.
The Philippines belongs to the medium human development bracket unlike the
neighboring Malaysia and Thailand, which at 62nd place and 89th place, respectively, are in high
human development bracket, Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez said the report also cited the Philippines as one of the countries where the
connection between social exclusion and conflict can be illustrated. It means that these are
places where a significant part of the population become vulnerable due to conflict situations
such as insurgencies, rebellions or separatist movements, Rodriguez said.
The report states that consumption is one of the drivers of Philippine economic expansion
in terms of gross national product which slowed to 5.7 percent in 2014 compared to 6.3 and 7.7
percent in 2013, Rodriguez added.
Rodriguez said the report pushes for wider access to basic social service like education,
health care, water supply and sanitation and public safety, insurance, labor regulations, pension
and welfare programs, employment, disaster risk reduction and responsive government
institutions.
According to Rodriguez, the report, which highlights the needs in promoting the peoples
choices and protecting human development achievement, takes the view that vulnerability
threatens human development. Unless it is systematically addressed by changing policies and
social norms, progress will be neither equitable nor sustainable, Rodriguez said citing the report.
The UN Human Development Report is an annual report that measures income, education,
and life expectancy.
It includes the human development index, which measures the average achievement in
three basic dimensions of human development a long and healthy life, knowledge and a decent
standard of living. (30) mrs