During the 2nd Bukidnon Anti-Poverty Summit (BAPS) 2019 headed by Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri in Valencia City last November 8, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) Supervising Statistical Specialist Brenda Lynn Castro has reported the latest Poverty Incidence Survey results. Based on the results, the province of Bukidnon now ranked 19th on the list of the Philippines Poorest Provinces in 2018, an improvement compared to the survey result last 2015—placing the province in 4th place. Castro further said, four out of five provinces in Northern Mindanao has decreased its poverty incidence—including Bukidnon, Camiguin, Lanao del Norte, and Misamis Occidental. “Of these provinces, Bukidnon posted the biggest drop of poverty incidence, bringing down to 32.1 percent in 2018 from its recorded poverty incidence of 54.1 percent in 2015. This showed a drop of 22.08 percentage points from the recorded poverty incidence three years ago,” Castro noted.

Furthermore, Zubiri recognized the effectiveness of BAPS in making significant improvements for the province’s standing in the Poverty Survey. “I believe that this [BAPS] exercise, humble it may be, is an effective tool in our efforts to bring down poverty incidence in Bukidnon. This is a venue where we can exchange ideas; set aside politics and find commonalities in our desire to help the people of Bukidnon; forge partnerships among our local government units and national government agencies; work in close partnership with the private sector and civil societies and strengthening these linkages with various programs,” Zubiri said. He further noted that the decrease in the poverty incidence status in the province is not a coincidence. But rather the result of various poverty intervention programs. Moreover, education is still the best combat against poverty—not just in the region but in the whole country as well.   —(Source: Philippine Information Agency)