MDG 1 in the Philippines: Setting the scores right and achieving the targets

The official poverty data fall short of properly informing public policy and governance concerning the progress, or lack of it, in achieving the country's commitment of halving, between 1990 and 2015, the incidence of poverty and hunger. Imposing consistency in poverty estimation shows that the poverty trend is actually even more alarming than what the official data depict. 'Business as usual' keeps the country from achieving the MDG 1 targets. Meeting the huge policy challenge of poverty reduction requires nothing less than rapid but sustained and inclusive growth.