ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro (PPAB)

Act Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro has advised the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) and Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) to create a "group chat" with relevant agencies in order to avoid a faux pas similar to when it pegged the country’s food poverty threshold at P64 per day. 

Castro made this somewhat sarcastic remark on Monday night, Sept. 16 during the plenary debate on the NEDA's proposed 2025 budget. 

According to the Makabayan bloc member, NEDA and PSA can turn to other agencies like the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) for much-needed reference and coordination. 

"Sana naman--sana may GC kayo no, yung DOLE, yung NEDA, PSA, FNRI para dito, mapag-usapan talaga, Kasi hindi lang pwedeng NEDA lang at PSA lang, di ba?" Castro told budget sponsor, Marikina City 2nd district Rep. Stella Quimbo, who was answering questions from solons on behalf of NEDA. 

(Hopefully--hopefully you get to have a GC, together with DOLE, NEDA, PSA, and FNRI for this, so that it can be thoroughly discussed. Just the NEDA and PSA won't do.) 

"Dapat may kunsultahan din sa ibang mga agency para ang resulta ay mas makatotohanan at grounded," she underscored. 

(In order to get more realistic and grounded results, there must be consultations with the different agencies.) 
 

Thanks to the advent of mobile phones and free messaging apps, group chats have become commonplace in both the professional and personal lives of Filipinos. As such, the practical value of group chats cannot be overstated. 

The NEDA and PSA drew a lot of flak in and out of Congress last when they claimed that P320 was enough daily food budget for a family of five. 

This amount is broken down into P64 per person per day, and is supposedly good for three meals, at just over P21 per meals. 

Perhaps most insulting is the inference that--since this is a poverty threshold--only Filipinos who can spare less than P64 on food per day can be considered "food poor". 

"Talagang hindi madali, hindi madaling tanggapin nga itong P64 (The P64 threshold is so hard to accept)," said Castro, a deputy minority leader. 

"Siguro bago magpahayag ang NEDA ng ganitong mga idea, ay maging ano...lumapag kayo sa ground at subukan niyo bago niyo sabihin yung ganito. I-try ninyo sa sarili ninyo kung kaya niyo yung ganitong amount," she said. 

(I advise NEDA to go to the ground and test out these ideas before making such statements. Try it out for yourselves if you can survive on this amount.) 

The teacher solon expressed worries that such skewed assumptions may be used by the government to determine what it thinks is a "living wage" for workers. 

Castro said that the threshold is, at the very least, outdated.