Malacañang said that while measures are being taken to address the poor living conditions of Filipino families, it recognized that more was needed to be done to lift them out of poverty.

Communications Secretary Martin Andanar made this statement after the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey, conducted last month, showed that 43 percent of Filipino families feel poor.

The SWS found the same rating in its December 2021 study.

In a statement, Andanar said that while the Duterte administration had already achieved significant milestones in its poverty alleviation programs, more should be done to resolve the problem.

"We recognize that much more needs to be done to lift Filipino families from their poor condition," he said Thursday, May 19.

Andanar noted how poverty declined from 23.3 percent in 2015 to 16.7 percent in 2018, but the Covid-19 pandemic foiled the government's plans to address poverty.

"The Covid-19 pandemic has taken a heavy toll on income and job opportunities," he said.

The acting Palace spokesman said the pandemic was the reason behind the government's decision to accelerate social and economic recovery while managing the risks due to Covid-19.

"For the immediate term, our efforts include shifting to Alert Level 1 to further improve the performance of key sectors such as tourism and opening schools for face-to-face learning," he said.

"We have therefore adopted a Ten-Point Policy Agenda for Economic Recovery where all government agencies are directed to ensure all related policies, programs, and measures of the government are aligned with the Ten-Point Policy Agenda," he added.