Incoming senator Raffy Tulfo believes the country’s middle class doesn’t need help from the government as much as those belonging to the poor households or the mimimum wage earners.
The veteran broadcaster made the statement in reaction to a question by the media regarding the proposal in the Lower House to provide rice subsidies to poor to middle class households amid the rising prices of basic commodities and fuel.
“Middle class, I think, pag-aaralan muna. Pero below middle class, ibig sabihin ‘yung mga mahihirap, yes na yes. Pero middle class, for me, in my humble opinion, right now, without still looking at the facts and figures, I don’t think so,” Tulfo said in response to a reporter’s querry.
Tulfo explained that the middle class are normally above miminum wage earners and therefore can still afford to buy basic commodities and withstand the impact of rising inflation.
Instead, he said, financial assistance should be directed towards the minimum or below minimum wage earners as this sector is now around 8 million in numbers; citing data he received.
“Ang targetin ng ating pamahalaan na bigyan ng ayuda ‘yung mga nasa poverty line… middle class can take care of themselves, I’m sure,” the neophyte lawmaker said.
“Ikaw middle class ka, ako middle class, we can take care of ourselves. So we don’t need help from the government,” he added.
Inflation rates in the Philippines soars to new heights last month primarily caused by the rising cost of food and transport, as per data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
PSA said the overall prices of consumer goods and services increased by 5.4% year on year in May, compared to 4.9% in April and 4.1% a year ago.
This is the highest rate of inflation in the country in more than three and a half years, and the fastest increase in 42 months or since the 6.1% year-on-year growth in November 2018.
With the Philippine peso to US dollar exchange rate falling to its 14-year low at P54.70 to $1, the country is bracing for another surge in inflation in the coming weeks.