MANILA, April 11 (PNA) — The government could use key markers in the 2015 Social Progress Index result to improve its programs that in the end will help uplift the lives of the people, a Palace official said on Saturday.
The Philippines was ranked fifth in terms of social progress in East Asia and Pacific region in a report by Social Progress Imperative, a think tank based in the United States.
According to the 2015 Social Progress Index results of the Washington D.C.-based Social Progress Imperative, the Philippines beats Indonesia, China, Cambodia, and Laos.
Although the Philippines faired well regionally, the country is ranked 64th among 133 countries, which the think-tank labeled as “medium low.” The Philippines dropped from 56th spot in 2014 to 64th this year.
In a radio interview on Saturday over dzRB Radyo ng Bayan, Deputy Presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said government programs must be allowed to reach the people to have an impact. Valte was asked by reporters how the government could improve its ranking.
“Siguro bigyan natin ng pagkakataon ang mga programa natin to take root, and to actually keep helping,” she said.
The good things about the index is that it identified markers like “depth of food deficit,” “maternal mortality cycle,” and “child mortality rate,” she said.
With these markers, the government could focus on those areas to see how its programs helped push the rankings up in terms of these indicators, she said.
Valte also brushed off the country’s low ranking, saying the organization itself says that these results need not be compared to 2014 and 2013 because the Social Progress Imperative is refining its data and information.
“A country’s progress on the 2015 report should not be compared to its progress in 2014 and in 2013 for the simple fact that the metrics are not the same,” Valte said.
The 2015 Social Progress Index defines social progress as “the capacity of a society to meet the basic human needs of its citizens, establish the building blocks that allow citizens and communities to enhance and sustain the quality of their lives, and create the conditions for all individuals to reach their full potential.” (PNA)