Despite a reduced budget, the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) has achieved almost all of its targets from 2016 until 2021.
In 2016, NAPC started with a budget of ₱286,852,263.33, followed by a 1.65% hike the following year. However, its budget decreased by 4.62% in 2018 and 10.53% in 2019. For 2020 and 2021, it went up by less than a percentile.
“We are proud to announce that the NAPC averaged an 80% budget utilization rate during the five-year period. It is worth noting that the commission still managed to improve its utilization rate amid unprecedented incidents and complexities in the new normal,” said NAPC Secretary Noel K. Felangco.
The agency also received the highest audit rating by the Commission on Audit for three consecutive years – 2018, 2019, and 2020. This proved that the submitted financial statements adhered strictly to the Philippines Public Sector Standards.
Likewise, NAPC adopted the Quality Management System (QMS) to intensify public accountability, heighten transparency, strengthen fiscal discipline, and develop more efficient government processes.
The QMS is a support tool for state administrative agencies that promote administrative reform and ensure the quality of transactions of government institutions. It is considered the primary standard to achieve International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Certification.
The agency continuously trains its staff and officers on QMS to standardize its fiscal and administrative processes.
During the pandemic, the NAPC also created a monitoring and evaluation framework to assess government measures to address COVID-19 and its impact on the most vulnerable sectors of society.
The experiences of the basic sectors and the findings of the NAPC formed the recommendations to policy-makers. It aims to improve government responses in crisis situations, particularly for the poorest sectors using an area-based and sectoral focused intervention.
NAPC serves as the oversight and advisory body for implementing the Social Reform Agenda (SRA), which embodied the government’s response based on a series of consultations and summits on poverty alleviation.
It is committed to undertaking policy advocacy, overseeing anti-poverty efforts, and ensuring meaningful and inclusive people’s participation in governance and nationalist development. It envisions a Philippine society free from poverty and inequality.
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