One out of three Filipinos scrimping on food a 'national emergency'

From the Office of Anakpawis Representative Crispin B. Beltran

* Reference*: Rep. Crispin Beltran (+63)927.871.1080

Lisa C. Ito, Public Information Officer (+63)927.796.7006

*Tel*. *# (+632) *931-6615 *Email*: crispinbeltran@gmail.com

*URL*: http://www.geocities.com/ap_news



* *

*NEWS RELEASE *

*February 8, 2006 *



*One out of three Filipinos scrimping on food a 'national emergency'--Rep.
Beltran*

*Urgent passage of 'poverty alleviation House Bills' pushed by solons *
Along with Bayan Muna and Gabriela solons, Anakpawis Rep. Crispin Beltran
today urged "the urgent passage of House Bills that could provide immediate
economic relief to the Filipino toiling masses at a time of high prices,
unjust taxation, and record-breaking hunger levels'.

"The report that one out of three Filipinos are scrimping on food, and other
essential and non-essential expenditures is nothing less than a declaration
of a national emergency, a red alert situation even" the veteran labor
leader said.

Beltran cited the recent 2005 survey by the British market research firm TNS
Worldpanel, which revealed that most Class E or poor households are
scrimping on food, soft drinks, cooking oil and snacks, and are dropping
mineral water and deodorants. The firm defined Class E families are those
living on an income of P7,500 a month, in slums in temporary one-room
structures with no furnishings. It added that members of this class are
usually elementary school graduates and work as manual laborers if they are
not jobless.

Class E families represent one out of every three Filipinos, the survey
said.

"Most minimum wage and contractual workers and Salary Grade 1 government
employees belong to these Class E households that are painfully scrimping on
food," Beltran said.

"The survey noted that the poor are no longer consuming mineral water. This
is setting the stage for the massive outbreak of water-borne diseases due to
the severe lack of potable drinking water systems throughout the country. The
poor can not even afford to boil and sterilize tap water because liquified
petroleum prices have risen so high," he said.

"We can only infer that no money is left to go to medical or educational
needs, since the poor are already stretching their budgets to the limits on
food and essential items," Beltran said.

"The different national surveys are all pointing to one direction: that our
country is in the dire pits of poverty," he said.

In a press conference today, Beltran urged the passage of House Bills House
Bill 1064, or AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THREE THOUSAND PESOS (P3, 000.00)
ACROSS-THE-BOARD MONTHLY SALARY INCREASE IN THE WAGE AND SALARY RATES OF
EMPLOYEES AND WORKERS IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES) and the
the long-delayed House Bill 0345, which legislated a P125 across-the-board
wage increase for workers in the private sector.

The HBs are among the 12 immediate legislative measures proposed by
progressive party list organizations Bayan Muna, Anakpawis, and Gabriela as
needing urgent passage in order to immediately alleviate or lessen the
economic crunch on the poor. ###