By JONAS ALPASAN
Bulatlat.com
MANILA – A fisherfolk group said the Marcos Jr. administration appears not to be sincere in addressing poverty, following the recent appointment of controversial and suspended lawyer Larry Gadon as Presidential Adviser for Poverty Alleviation.
“Appointing rude and suspended lawyer Larry Gadon shows that Marcos Jr. is not serious in resolving the poverty in the country. It equates to the government treating poverty and concerns of the fishing sector as a laughingstock,” said Ronnel Arambulo, vice chairperson of Pamalakaya.
Pamalakaya noted that the government’s own data reveal that the fisherfolk sector has the highest poverty rate at 30.6 in 2021. This is 4.4 percent higher than the 26.2 percent record in 2018.
Farmers, meanwhile, account to be the second poorest sector with a 30 percent poverty rate.
In a recent study by Ibon Foundation, the independent thinktank said the “nominal wage has failed to cope with the constant increase in prices” as the government has been “giving fewer and smaller wage hikes, particularly under Duterte and now Marcos Jr administrations.”
Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority reveal that the poverty threshold for a family of five nationwide is P12,030 ($228) on a monthly average. However, Ibon Foundation noted that the average nominal minimum wage (MW) nationwide is only P8,902 ($168) monthly.
“We do not see any compelling reason for Gadon to be appointed to this position. This is nothing but a political reward for his continuing defense of the Marcos family. It is insulting and unacceptable,” added Arambulo.
As it stands, Gadon is currently facing a number of disbarment complaints. He has also repeatedly hogged headlines over controversial complaints, including when he insulted a journalist for tweeting about the tax case of then-presidential candidate Marcos Jr. (RTS) 
