The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) recognize the need to understand the link between disability and poverty. In fact this has become one of the key issues in the subject of poverty reduction in Asia and the Pacific. The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific...

In urban Philippines, the percentage of persons with disability (PWDs) participating in various government and nongovernment programs is low. In fact, the level of awareness among PWDs on the policies that intend to uplift their well-being is also low. These were some of the findings of a 2008...

In 2006, poverty incidence in the Philippines went up by 3 percentage points from 2003, marking a reversal against the downward trend in previous poverty estimates. This upward trend went against expectations after the Philippine economy exhibited a relatively robust performance during this...

The Philippines has been posting progress in terms of poverty reduction since the early 1990s. However, reversal in the trend was observed in 2006. Further worsening of the poverty situation is expected given the various economic and natural shocks (i.e., food and fuel price hikes; global...

Drugs and medicines account for about half of the total medical out-of-pocket expenses of households. This share of drugs to total medical expenses is much higher for the poor than the rich. Thus, affordability of medicines is an important issue in poverty reduction. Recent efforts to improve...

In an effort to complement the 2008 disability survey conducted in Metro Manila, the University of Tokyo and the Philippine Institute for Development Studies collaborated to undertake a similar study in a rural area. The survey was conducted in Rosario, Batangas in 2010, where 106 PWDs from 31...

The Philippines is one of the biggest pharmaceutical markets in the ASEAN region, next only to Indonesia and Thailand. It is a lifeline to thousands of Filipino workers and a significant contributor in terms of value of output. This industry is one of the fastest growing industries in the...

Poverty incidence among population rose from 24.9 percent in 2003 to 26.4 percent in 2006 and then inched up further to 26.5 percent in 2009. Although this aggregate poverty rate shows only a few percentage points change from 2003 to 2009, this does not mean there are no movements in and out of...

This paper examines the relationship among poverty, economic growth, and inequality by decomposing poverty changes at subnational levels. The results were examined against the performances of the different economic sectors in the regions to understand the relationships while accounting for the...

Addressing gender gaps is a major development objective anywhere in the world. This paper aims to illustrate that this is far more critical in the presence of another social layer - disability. Among persons with disability (PWDs), the gap between men and women are more distinct, their...