Western Visayas posted a sharp improvement in its poverty indicators in 2025 while recording the fastest economic growth among the country’s regions. Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed that the proportion of families living in poverty declined significantly, alongside a stronger expansion of the regional economy.
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Poverty Declines Alongside Stronger Regional Growth
The poverty incidence among families in Western Visayas fell from 9.8 percent in 2023 to 5.2 percent in 2025, representing a statistically significant reduction of 4.6 percentage points.
Economic activity also accelerated during the same period. The region’s economy grew by 6.4 percent in 2025, up from 4.4 percent the previous year, making Western Visayas the country’s fastest-growing regional economy and placing it ahead of the other 17 regions. Its economy was valued at P683.44 billion at constant 2018 prices.
For the Department of Economy, Planning and Development Region in Western Visayas (DEPDev-6), the combination of stronger economic output and lower poverty is a more important measure of progress than growth figures by themselves.
DEPDev-6 Director Arecio Casing Jr. stressed that economic performance should be viewed in terms of whether its gains extend to households with fewer economic resources.
“We are not only looking at the growth. We grew the fastest among all other regions in the country last year. One aspect of growth is the development concern,” Casing said.
He also pointed to poverty reduction as an important gauge of whether economic expansion is producing broader development.
“Is the growth happening across all levels? Does it also include the lowest level of our sector? Apparently, it did in our region. Our poverty decreased coupled with high growth, so that is what we want to see. We do not want to see a region with very high growth but very high poverty,” he explained.
Development Gains Must Reach More Communities
Government programs and services that create economic opportunities and improve access to basic services were identified as factors that can help bring poverty down. These considerations are incorporated into regional planning, including the Regional Development Plan (RDP).
“These are major considerations during the formulation of the Regional Development Plan (RDP), to look at all these targets so each agency will be able to have their baselines in the conduct of their plans and programs,” Casing said.
The region’s RDP 2023–2028 Midterm Update lists job creation and poverty reduction among its key development priorities, with strategies focused on maintaining economic growth while pursuing more inclusive development.
DEPDev-6 Planning, Policy Formulation and Planning Division chief economic development specialist Joyalita Tigres emphasized that poverty cannot be evaluated through household income alone.
“When we say poverty incidence, this is not only increased income among our households or families but, of course, these are the opportunities and the access to service delivery like basic services like education, health, and social protection,” Tigres said.
The regional figures, however, do not mean that improvements have been distributed evenly. Tigres noted that geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDAs) continue to face poverty and inequality concerns, particularly because residents encounter greater barriers to basic services and economic opportunities.
“Although there is a reduction in the poverty incidence, we cannot say [it is the same], especially the poverty inequality in GIDA sites,” Tigres said.
Sustaining the gains will require cooperation among local government units, national government agencies and other stakeholders. The RDP provides a framework for coordinating programs across local and regional agencies, with continued efforts needed to address poverty and inequality.
“We are requesting all the stakeholders, especially the local government units and regional agencies, to do their part,” Tigres said.
Western Visayas’ figures show that economic growth can be a stronger measure of development when it is accompanied by a measurable reduction in poverty. The challenge now is ensuring that the gains reflected in regional statistics continue reaching communities that remain furthest from jobs, basic services, and economic opportunities.
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