With half of Filipino families considering themselves poor in 2015, the Iglesia ni Cristo called for the country to work together to combat poverty as it continued its national anti-poverty outreach program aimed at providing “real, doable and concrete assistance” to members of local communities throughout the country.
According to INC General Auditor Glicerio B. Santos Jr., the church as part of its Lingap Pamamahayag program on Saturday distributed more than 20,000 goodie packs and 15,000 pieces of clothing to residents of Barangay Zulueta, Nueva Ecija, and on Sunday distributed 1,200 goodie packs in Antipolo City Jail, consistent with the directives of Executive Minister Bro. Eduardo V. Manalo to step up the INC’s efforts to assist the poor.
“Ang INC ay tumutulong sa kapwa kahit na ano ang relihiyon; umaambag sa pangkalahatang kilos at galaw para sa kaginhawaan ng bawat pamilya. (The INC is a homegrown church that seeks to help all regardless of their faith; that contributes to collective efforts to uplift the lives of every family.) While we recognize that self-rated poverty may have gone down through the efforts of government, when half of families nationwide say they are poor, something must be done,” said Santos.
The SWS released earlier this month the results of its fourth quarter 2015 survey on self-rated poverty and self-rated food poverty, indicating that 50 percent of Filipino families consider themselves poor, bringing the yearly average to 50 percent. This is four points below the 2014 average of 54 percent.
The survey, which was conducted from Dec. 5 to 8, 2015 among 1,200 adult respondents nationwide, also revealed that 33 percent of families consider themselves food-poor—a two-point drop compared to last September’s 35 percent.
In light of these statistics, Santos said that the INC believes that “this is the challenge of the times: to set aside our differences, our agendas, and to do what has to be done to help our countrymen, instead of just talking about it.”
Earlier this year, the INC distributed thousands of similar goodie packs to residents of Barangay Maharlika in Taguig City.
The church has also recently set up at 16,000-hectare eco-farming site in Cotabato. Intended to be planted with bananas, corn, rice and coffee, the site was meant to provide livelihood assistance to around 8,400 members of the lumad and b’laan inidigenous communities.