Workers condemn NEDA statement as insult and out of touch

NEDA’s P127 a day food budget standard for Filipino family is an insult to workers; ALU-TUCP wants Edillon to retract statement and apologize

By ALU-TUCP
June 6, 2018

QUEZON CITY – For setting the living standard of Filipino family to the lowest level, labor group Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP) is demanding that the government’s National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) retracts its statement and apologize in public for making out of touch declarations.

Speaking before reporters Tuesday, NEDA Undersecretary Rosemarie Edillon said the living standard for a Filipino family of five is only P10,000 a month. Out of which only P3,834 are needed food or P127 a day alone.

“We condemn this argument as inaccurate and a grave mistake. This is an affront to millions of poor Filipinos. We demand that the NEDA retract this out of touch statement and we are demanding that Undersecretary Edillon to apologize in public for insulting all of us with such a very low government standard of living and for taking the dignity of poor Filipino family to the lowest level,” said Alan Tanjusay, spokesperson of ALU-TUCP.

The P127 a day for food expenses for a family of five is very low government standard, Tanjusay said adding: “This amount does not reflect the reality of majority of Filipinos who are poor. Why don’t the NEDA officials including Ms. Edillon try to live with P127 a day, tingnan natin kung mabubuhay sila with this amount.”

Tanjusay said government should set the standard at a modest and acceptable level after reflecting the realities on the ground.

“Government officials particularly the NEDA should immersed themselves in communities before they announce standards and policies. They should be immersed in public wet markets. They should often visit the talipapas and sari-sari stores not just depend on table studies if they want to know the real living conditions being experienced by Filipino families,” Tanjusay said.