IS IT POSSIBLE TO DECLARE ZERO EXTREME POVERTY ZONES?

IS IT POSSIBLE TO DECLARE ZERO EXTREME POVERTY ZONES?

Declaring a “Zero Extreme Poverty Zone” may sound like a dream, but is it really impossible? I do not think so. Perhaps not at the national level, given the scale of our economic realities, but at the local barangay level, it might be achievable—if we are clear about definitions, methods, and sustainability.

Let us first clarify: we are talking here about extreme poverty, not regular poverty. A barangay could be declared “zero extreme poverty” if no household falls below the most severe deprivation levels—say, families skipping meals, children not in school, or homes without potable water. This does not mean everyone is middle class. It simply means nobody is in the worst possible condition. Isn’t that already a meaningful first step?

The big question is how to measure it. Between the Poverty Threshold Basket (PTB) and the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI), my preference is the MPI. Why? Because the PTB, while simple, is outdated. It is still based on an “imaginary basket” of food and non-food goods that often excludes what modern life now requires, like internet access or mobile data. How can we measure poverty today without including digital access, when education, jobs, and even government services depend on it?

The MPI, on the other hand, looks at multiple deprivations: health, education, housing, water, sanitation, livelihood, and more. In the Philippines, we already have the Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS) mandated by law (RA 11315), which collects household-level data. With MPI and CBMS combined, we can have an accurate picture of deprivation in every barangay. Add artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze these data, and we can create poverty maps that are not only statistical but also actionable.

Of course, declaring a barangay as a “zero extreme poverty zone” will not be simple. The first challenge is volatility. A household may move in and out of extreme poverty depending on the season. A farmer who eats three meals a day during harvest might skip meals during planting. So how do we account for that? We would need a monitoring system that is continuous, not one-time.

The second challenge is validation. If an LGU says it has achieved zero extreme poverty, who verifies it? The Philippine Statistics Authority? Local universities? Civil society groups? Without third-party validation, the declaration might be reduced to political rhetoric.

That said, there are already movements pointing us in the right direction. The Zero Extreme Poverty Philippines 2030 (ZEP2030) coalition, made up of more than 140 civil society organizations, is working to lift one million families out of extreme poverty by 2030. They use multidimensional poverty profiling combined with collective action. Pilot areas include Bohol, Bukidnon, Cebu, Eastern Samar, Quezon City, and Sarangani. While they have not yet declared “zero poverty zones,” they are moving toward that goal, barangay by barangay.

Some LGUs have shown how this could be done in practice. In Bohol, CBMS data was used to identify families most vulnerable to disasters and lack of water. In Quezon City, poverty mapping revealed that sanitation and housing were the largest deprivations—not income alone—leading to targeted interventions. And in Libjo, Dinagat Islands, MPI was applied down to the barangay level, enabling hyper-local solutions in food security, education, and health. These examples show that with political will and community participation, “functional zero extreme poverty” is possible at the micro level.

Perhaps, instead of using the term “zero poverty,” we could reframe it as “dignity-guaranteed zones” or “MPI-cleared barangays.” What this means is that everyone has access to food, education, healthcare, sanitation, and shelter—and even the dignity of a proper burial. No one is left in the worst deprivations. That is both realistic and measurable.

One policy suggestion is to reward LGUs that achieve verified zero extreme poverty status. This could be tied to the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) or given as performance-based grants. After all, if a barangay can demonstrate that all its families are free from extreme deprivation, should that not be celebrated and replicated?

The path forward is clear: use CBMS as the data backbone, MPI as the measurement tool, and AI as the analyzer. Bring in universities and NGOs for validation. Then, allow LGUs to pass a resolution declaring functional zero extreme poverty zones, provided the data holds up.

So, is it possible? Yes. Will it be easy? No. But then again, what is the alternative? To accept that in all 42,000 barangays of this country, we cannot find even one that can declare victory over extreme poverty? That would be an even bigger tragedy.

Declaring zero extreme poverty zones is not just aspirational. It is a challenge worth pursuing—because it tells our people that the goal is not endless suffering, but dignity for all.

Ramon Ike V. Seneres, www.facebook.com/ike.seneres
iseneres@yahoo.com, senseneres.blogspot.com

01-31-2026