Improving quality of life: Primary SONA concern

Raising quality of life is the average Filipino family's primary concern, and it stands to reason that this would be the focal point of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.'s fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) before the joint session of the 20th Congress at the Batasang Pambansa today.

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According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), around 40 percent of Filipinos are considered middle class, a segment that is vulnerable to economic shocks. While the proportion of middle-class Filipinos has generally increased over the past few decades, the Covid-19 pandemic caused a temporary setback.

Yet, this is arguably the proverbial sweet spot. The Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) characterizes middle-class Filipinos as having "high education levels, stable employment, smaller family size (compared to those in the lower income class), and good access to services." Some 60.6 percent of residents in urban areas belong to the middle class. Moreover, an expanding middle class does not always result in inclusive development. To avert a slide into a widening income gap, heightened civic engagement must be fostered.

To optimize opportunities for enlarging the middle class and improving the well-being of Filipino families, the PIDS' seven-point action agenda deserves our policymakers' consideration.