The governments National Statistics Coordination Board (NSCB) has said that seven of the 10 poorest provinces are in Mindanao, with Zamboanga del Norte being the poorest.Generally, since 1997, there has been an increasing trend in poverty in Mindanao, Redencion Ignacio, an NSCB official, said in this report.
In May, the Social Weather Stations disclosed the results of a survey which said that hunger was highest in Mindanao.
Earlier, the labor group Kilusang Mayo Uno castigated the government for allegedly fabricating its poverty figures.
