The towns of Benguet surrounding Baguio City registered lower poverty rates compared to other municipalities in the Cordillera Region, according to a recent study of the National Statistical and Coordination Board (NSCB).

This was revealed during the regular Kapihan sa Baguio press forum led by the Philippine Information Agency.

NSCB Regional Director Benjamin Navarro said that latest the census data on small area estimates of poverty revealed that the ten least poor municipalities in the region belong to the Baguio-La Trinidad-Itogon-Sablan-Tuba-Tublay (Blistt) area.

Baguio City, which is the regional center of the Cordillera Region, registered the lowest poverty incidence. La Trinidad ranks second, Itogon is third, Tuba ranked fourth and Sablan ranked 10th.

Other municipalities in the top ten least poor include Mankayan, also in Benguet (5), Bontoc in Mountain Province (6), Bangued in Abra (7), Tabuk City in Kalinga (8) and Lamut in Ifugao (9).

Navarro said that that the survey reflects poverty incidence indicated by the proportion of poor residents in the areas and shows improvement in the quality of life in the respective cities and municipalities.

The survey results of the small area estimates of poverty which was recently released by the NSCB was discussed during the Kapihan sa Baguio forum last week launching the 23rd National Statistics Month with the theme, “Monitoring Progress on Decent Work Through Statistics: Pathway to Inclusive Growth.”

National Statistics Office Regional Director Olivia Gulla explained that the decrease of poverty incidence in these and other areas in the region is attributable to intervention of the government.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is implementing core and supporting programs to address poverty in the region, particularly in the Blistt areas, said Brenda Consolacion of the DSWD-Cordillera.

Among the core programs being implemented are the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services; Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program; the Conditional Cash Transfer scheme and various livelihood programs.

Supporting programs of the DSWD include a supplemental feeding program for children in day care centers, social pension for senior citizens, and the core shelter assistance program for those affected by disasters, according to Consolacion.