This April 2, 2011 file photo shows a row of makeshift houses on the bank of a river. Residents of such homes are widely regarded as poor, and their number is expected to increase in 2021, according to the National Economic and Development Authority. (Photo by Rene H. Dilan)
The coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic will drag more Filipinos into poverty next year, but this will be temporary, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) assured on Thursday.