9 September 2026, NAGA CITY, Philippines – Ateneo de Naga University (ADNU) through the Graduate School and in partnership with the World Bank, hosted a policy forum to launch the World Bank flagship report, “Building the Filipino Middle Class: Towards Resilient Futures.and Poverty Eradication.” Held at the Alingal Multipurpose Hall, 5th Floor, Fr. Godofredo Alingal SJ Hall, the knowledge-sharing event convened academic leaders and students, civil society organizations, and public sector officials to deliberate on poverty reduction, structural economic reforms, and regional development across Bicol.
Opening the forum, ADNU University President Fr. Aristotle C. Dy, S. J., set a mission-driven tone by highlighting the economic struggles of working families despite declining national poverty statistics. Drawing inspiration from the papal document Drawing New Maps of Hope and the Jesuit Universal Apostolic Preferences, Fr. Dy reaffirmed the university’s commitment to Bicol development, urging leaders to translate research findings into long-term planning for youth empowerment and sustainable growth.
Presenting the flagship report, Dr. Liliana Sousa, Senior Economist for Poverty and Equity at the World Bank, highlighted a historic milestone: national poverty fell from 23.5% in 2015 to 15.5% in 2023, led by gains in rural areas. This progress was driven by a structural shift out of low productivity agriculture into wage employment across construction, transportation, and commerce. Crucially, incomes among the poorest households grew faster than those at the top, pushing income inequality below the Gini threshold of 40 for the first time in over four decades and propelling the country toward upper-middle-income status.
However, Dr. Sousa cautioned that applying upper-middle-income living benchmarks reveals deep underlying vulnerability. Under these standards, 58.7% of Filipinos remain poor and 27.7% live near the poverty line, where a single shock, such as a typhoon, job loss, or illness, can trigger financial distress, particularly for families bound by intergenerational poverty traps. Consequently, only 24% of Filipinos belong to the secure middle class. In the Bicol Region, economic fragility is even more pronounced as over half of the population is poor or vulnerable, while only 15% are financially secure. At the national level, 61.2% of the population face natural disasters without adequate insurance or safety nets.
To overcome structural barriers, such as informal employment, high care burdens on women, and fragmented local data systems, Dr. Sousa outline three strategic policy pillars to achieve the country’s Ambisyon Natin 2040 vision:
- Build State Capacity to Deliver: Enhance local spending capacity post-Mandanas ruling and establish inter-agency data-sharing protocols.
- Open Pathways to Better Jobs: Expand early childhood care so mothers can work, modernize labor rules for low-skilled workers, and ease barriers for Overseas Filipino Workers so remittances fuel local growth.
- Build a Resilience Floor for the Vulnerable: Extend Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) to vulnerable households, maintain real-time social registries, and boost farm productivity to stabilize food prices.
During the open forum, moderated by Dr. Malu C. Barcillano, the Dean of the ADNU Graduate School, participants examined localized challenges, stressing the need to bridge national-local data gaps and clarifying why targeted 4Ps cash grants outperformed VAT exemptions. Discussions focused on designing local safety nets for families transitioning out of 4Ps and emphasizing Bicol’s job-skills mismatch by empowering academia and stakeholders to align workforce training with market needs.
Closing the forum, Ms. Irene Arzadon, World Bank Economist, emphasized that statistical indicators represent real families seeking stable jobs and better futures for their children. She reaffirmed the World Bank’s commitment to continuing its partnership with academia, local government, and civil society to drive inclusive development across Bicol.
Written by:
Mary Grace Joyce A. Besenio
Research Associate, Ateneo Social Science Research Center
DBA Student
