So far, so good?
 In the first half of President Benigno S. Aquino III’s term, the Philippines has emerged as the region’s new economic darling following strong growth that defied the global downward drift.
But the Aquino government is still confronted with challenges that the nation’s resilient economy only looks good on paper.
The country, now on President Aquino’s third year in office, remains saddled with poverty (27.9 percent in first semester of 2012 that translates to 26.2 million poor Filipinos) and unemployment (7.5 percent in the first quarter of 2013) despite the economy’s better-than-expected 7.8 percent growth that earned recognition here and abroad.
While some Filipinos are impressed with Aquino’s efforts to lift the country out of the doldrums, they are hoping he will do more to alleviate poverty and create more jobs.
“Kumbaga sa klase ng buhay, nasa mahirap kami. Nangugupahan pa kami [In terms of economic class, we are still poor. We still rent our home],” said Danilo Sicat, 43, who earns P300 a day after driving his tricycle around Pasig City.
With a wife and two children to look after, Sicat endures the heat and at times floods to earn an income to take care of his family. Sicat, a high school graduate, is worried that his meager income will not be enough to feed his family, pay rent, and send his children to school.
Sicat observed that President Aquino has performed well in the first three years in office compared to his corruption-tainted predecessor but acknowledged that he should do more to ease poverty in the country.
“Meron naman siyang nagawa. Sa ekonomiya, medyo umaangat ang ekonomiya natin dahil nakikita mo ang mga bago gusali [He has had some accomplishments. Our economy has improved because you can see the newly built buildings],” he said.
“If I have a chance to talk to him, I’ll tell him that corrupt officials in government are making us poor,” Sicat added.
Aquino’s bold measures to improve the country’s fiscal condition also drew praises from Francisco Pinapili, a traffic enforcer in Metro Manila. Pinapili, 44, however is hopeful that the government would exert effort on job creation and mass housing for the poor.
“I hope the President will exert effort in the fight against corruption. He should also focus on housing and job creation for the unemployed,” said Pinapili, who is married with seven children.

Source: Manila Bulletin - June 30, 2013