The Philippines aspires to be an upper middle-income country by 2022 as stated in the 2017–2022 Philippine Development Plan. It has also committed to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), where the first goal is to eradicate extreme poverty by 2030. This paper examines the performance of the country in poverty reduction. It also examines the reasons for the recent performance, including the pattern of economic growth, numerous shocks experienced by the country, and government policies and programs. With the COVID-19 pandemic, the recent gains will likely be wiped out. It also provides some recommendations to accelerate the rate of poverty reduction.
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