Making Growth Reach People: A Practical Agenda for Poverty Alleviation

Abstract

This position paper argues that poverty reduction in the Philippines hinges less on new diagnostics and more on execution that lowers the “cost of survival,” moves jobs closer to people, protects incomes from shocks, and rebuilds human capital fast. Synthesizing recent evidence, it proposes a production-centered, 10-pillar playbook that is nationally scalable yet locally executed—through sari-sari “rice pass” quotas and price transparency; cold-chain and storage to cut spoilage; municipal “deal rooms” to site micro-plants near high-poverty barangays; employer-led apprenticeships tied to signed MOUs; school feeding and 1:3 tutoring corps; PhilSys-enabled e-KYC and zero-fee basic wallets; and EODB/ARTA delivery sprints. A 6–18-month roadmap pairs each initiative with citizen-verifiable metrics—effective rice price gaps for the bottom three deciles, insured fishable days, 12-month job retention, Grade 3 reading gains—so progress is seen and sustained. The paper stresses institutional, financial, and environmental sustainability and builds “learning loops” (pilot, measure, scale or retire) to adapt quickly. Making growth portable to barangays, classrooms, RHUs, markets, farms, and coasts is the central test; when identity, payments, logistics, and information flow with low friction, households can convert growth into mobility.