00:00How is our visualization when we are an upper-middle-income country?
00:07Seriously, dear colleagues, indulge me. Close your eyes and imagine what that country looks like.
00:13So I have more time to think about it, so I don't have to close my eyes, but really I
00:18challenge you.
00:19Di ba ang naiisip natin? Blue skies, parks, happy family, right? That's always the vision.
00:27Happy family, grandparents, everybody healthy, parents that can provide for their children, three meals on the table.
00:35Kaya umuwi ni tatay o ni nanay ng matinong oras na hindi naubos yung panahon niya dun sa traffic na
00:42apat na oras na hindi siya makasakay
00:44dahil maayos ang transportation system o kung sa probinsya man sila nakatira.
00:49Eh meron man lang, katulad ng sinabi ni Senator Allen, may tren man lang doon, may bus, kung ano man.
00:54Pwedeng mag-enjoy ng weekend. May mga sidewalk, bike lanes, park.
01:02Parents are watching their kids play sports or watching their kids perform in a concert.
01:08Di ba yun ang magandang weekend?
01:10Tapos yung mga bata, kumakain ng masustansyang pagkain.
01:14At katulad ng sinabi ko, healthy ang parents and grandparents
01:19dahil meron din silang health system na madali nilang ma-access.
01:22At pag holiday, pwedeng may handa.
01:26At guess what? Pwedeng umuwi sa probinsya na hindi ubus ang sahod
01:30dahil hindi ganung kamahal ang airfare na katulad ng dinadanas natin ngayon.
01:37Pero napakahirap ipagmalaki at ipaliwanag na tayo ay isang upper middle income country
01:43kung hindi naman ito nararamdaman ang karamihan ng mga Pilipino.
01:48Ano nga ba ibig sabihin ito?
01:50It means that the country has a gross national income per capita
01:54between $4,496, so P277,000
01:59to P13,900 or P860,000
02:05reflecting the economic size rather than individual household income.
02:12So ito po ay national economic size, hindi po ito individual income.
02:19So when you look at the vast majority that are minimum wage earners,
02:24less than minimum wage earners, informal sector,
02:30hindi naman sila nandito sa income bracket na ito.
02:35This is merely an income classification.
02:39It is a way of grouping economies according to average income.
02:44It does not reflect the struggles of ordinary Filipinos, ordinary families,
02:50because this is our reality.
02:52SWS Survey 2026 reveals that 52% or 14.5 million Filipino families
02:58identify themselves as poor,
03:01while 42% consider their families as food poor,
03:05hindi man lang makakain ng maayos.
03:08Another SWS Survey of 2026 states that 23.2% of Filipino families
03:14experience involuntary hunger in the first quarter of 2026.
03:20Involuntary po, hindi po nagdadayet,
03:22sadyang wala na ho talagang makain.
03:28According to PSA, poverty incidence, this is as of 2023,
03:32is 15.5% or 17.54 million poor Filipinos.
03:40So when we celebrate our status as an upper middle income country,
03:45ang pakiramdam ng tao,
03:48you do not see us.
03:50You do not hear us.
03:52Hindi nyo kami nakikita.
03:54Hindi nyo kami napapakinggan.
03:58Hindi nyo ramdam ang hirap namin.
04:00Kaya ako po,
04:02never ho ako nagse-celebrate kahit ilang taong ko na yung naririnig
04:05na malapit na tayo mag-upper middle income.
04:07But it does not translate to a better life for most of the Filipinos.
04:13I can spend all my time on this.
04:15I will not because yes, we can argue
04:17it is better because makaka-avail ng mas magandang mga loans
04:23and so on and so forth.
04:24Pero matagal pa ho ang effect noon.
04:27In fact, if you look at what investors are looking for,
04:31they have a long list of wants
04:34if they will invest in this country.
04:36Hindi lang basta yung makita nilang upper middle income ka.
04:42Hindi lang basta yung makita nilang upper middle income ka.
04:50You
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