Why inclusive growth still eludes our nation

Our economy has been growing continuously since 2002. In 2010, GDP expanded by 7.3 percent, beating every one of our neighbor economies except China.

But 25.2 percent of Filipinos still lived below the poverty line in 2012—only slightly better than the 26.3 percent in 2009. Among our rural families, the poor make up fully 40 percent; and they have known no improvement in their material life since 1997.