PROSPERIDAD, Agusan del Sur (MindaNews / 18 March) – Agusan del Sur has graduated from the list of the 20 poorest provinces in the Philippines, the latest report from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA)-Agusan del Sur showed.
Demetrio Dejolde Jr., supervising statistical specialist and officer-in-charge of PSA Agusan del Sur, said the poverty incidence in the province has dropped to 25.9 percent from 39.6 percent in 2021.
In the 2021 PSA report, Agusan del Sur was ranked as the fifth poorest province in the country, he said.
Dejolde said that his office does not have the rankings for those that have moved out of the “Club 20” poorest provinces in the country.
As of December 31, 2023, there are 82 provinces in the country, PSA data showed.
In the “2023 First Semester Official Poverty Statistics of Agusan del Sur” released here last week, Dejolde revealed that 191,496 individuals from 48,000 families, or 25.9 percent of the province’s 739,367 population, are now living below the poverty line.
The latest PSA results indicated a significant improvement in lowering the poverty incidence in the province compared to the 2021 results, which showed that 358,030 individuals, or 39.6 percent of the population then, were living below the poverty line, he added.
Dejolde attributed the decline in the number of poor residents in the province to the generation of more employment opportunities and increased entrepreneurial activities in the agriculture sector.
Citing a PSA-Caraga report, the Philippine News Agency reported last January 24 that the economies of Agusan del Sur and Agusan del Norte provinces experienced growth in 2022.
According to the PSA-Caraga report, Agusan del Sur saw a 6.8 percent growth in its economy during the year, while Agusan del Norte recorded a 3.7 percent economic growth.
The main drivers of Agusan del Sur’s economic surge were agriculture, forestry and fishing, which accounted for 19.0 percent of the growth, followed by manufacturing at 13.8 percent, and financial and insurance activities at 12.8 percent.
The per capita gross domestic product of Agusan del Sur also grew by 5.9 percent to P99,387, compared to P93,820 in 2021, the report said.
“This achievement signifies our substantial progress in reducing the number of people living below the poverty line,” Agusan del Gov. Santiago Cane Jr. told reporters at his office.
“The decrease in poverty within the province has motivated the provincial, municipal, and barangay officials to redouble our efforts in improving the living conditions of our constituents,” he added. (Chris V. Panganiban / MindaNews)
