MANILA — The administration of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. is committed to its target of reducing the poverty rate to single-digit by 2028, Malacañang said Wednesday, after a survey showed that nearly half of Filipino families felt poor.

Around 48 percent or 12.2 million families were self-rated poor in June, according to the results of a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey released Tuesday.

"Ang gusto lang natin na ipaalala ay doon sa SONA (State of the Nation Address) ng Pangulo, meron tayong puntirya na by 2028 ma-reduce natin into single-digit ang ating poverty levels," said Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles.

(We just want to note that in the SONA of the President, we have a goal to reduce our poverty levels into single-digit by 2028.)

"Tuloy-tuloy pa rin 'yon. If anything, this makes the matter more urgent at mas malapit nating tututukan ang pagbuwag ng poverty levels, at least madiminish natin into single-digit levels,” she added.

(That continues. If anything, this makes the matter more urgent and we will monitor more closely the reduction of poverty levels, to at least diminish it to single-digit levels.)

• Nearly half of Filipinos feel 'poor', SWS survey shows

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Marcos seeks to boost the economy through agriculture and food self-sufficiency, said Cruz-Angeles.

• Marcos' SONA laid out big plans but lacked strategic focus: analysts

“'Yung ating pagpapalakas ng agrikultura, ekonomiya natin, lahat po 'yun ay makakatulong para mapuntirya natin ang levels ng poverty dito sa Pilipinas,” said the Palace official.

(Strengthening agriculture and our economy will help in our goal to bring down poverty levels in the Philippines.)

The Marcos government plans to maintain robust economic growth and alleviate poverty through an 8-point agenda.

• LIST: The Marcos administration's 8-point economic agenda

In his SONA, Marcos said the government would also impose taxes on digital goods to generate billions of pesos in funds. He also pushed 2 new tax reform packages.

He said he also aimed to raise the national budget to P7.712 trillion in 2028 and reduce the debt-to-GDP ratio to less than 60 percent by 2025.

— With a report from Jess Fenol, ABS-CBN News

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