A Catholic bishop in Palawan called on the government to set aside “dole-out mentality” in helping to alleviate people’s economic condition.
“Ang pagpapaganda ng buhay ng tao ay hindi madaliang gawain, talagang dapat may consistency, may mga polisiya na nakalagay kung paano makakatulong sa mga tao,” said Bishop Broderick Pabillo of Taytay, Palawan, in an interview over Radio Veritas 846.
The prelate was reacting to reports that the country has recorded a lower inflation rate last month compared to the previous month.
The Philippine Statistics Authority last week reported that the overall inflation in the Philippines slowed down further to 6.6 percent in April 2023 from 7.6 percent in March 2023.
The inflation rate in April 2022 was observed at 4.9 percent. This brings the average inflation rate from January to April 2023 to 7.9 percent.
The downtrend of the overall inflation during the month was mainly brought about by the heavily weighted food and non-alcoholic beverages, which recorded a lower inflation rate of 7.9 percent from 9.3 in March 2023.
Transport was the second top contributor with an inflation rate 2.6 percent from 5.3 percent in March 2023.
The third primary driver in the slowdown of the headline inflation in April 2023 was housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels, which recorded a 6.5 percent inflation rate from 7.6 percent in March 2023.
Bishop Pabillo, however, said that although the lower inflation rate is welcomed, it is not immediately felt by the people.
He said the government should instead implement laws that will raise the quality of life of people.
The bishop also appealed to the public to support Church programs and projects, such as the Pondo ng Pinoy initiative that aims to feed the poor and the homeless.
“We need to have more sharing of resources para gumanda ang kalagayan ng mga tao, kaya’t sana’y mapaigting natin yung mga programa na nakakatulong sa kapwa,” Bishop Pabillo said.
