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The Economic Disparity Between the NCR and ARMM


Written by: Anton Vellon

Visual by: Zoe Lapada



In the Philippines, there is no mistaking the wide economic disparity that exists between certain regions. Two regions separated by this gap are the National Capital Region (NCR) and Bangsamoro, formerly known as the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). According to the 2018 Family Income and Expenditure Survey (FIES), the annual family income in the NCR had the highest average annual family income, estimated to be at Php 460,000, while the region of the ARMM had the lowest of Php 161,000. There are more ways than just annual income, however, to express the economic disparity between the two regions.


One of the considerably important ways to measure economic disparity is healthcare access and quality. In a 2008 study, it was found that there were a total of 743 government health workers (including doctors, dentists, nurses, and midwives) in ARMM, as opposed to the 2,946 health workers in the NCR. Travel time to health facilities are also important to consider, since their quality reflects the money invested into the regional healthcare facilities. ARMM has the longest average travel time of 83 minutes, with the shortest ones being in NCR and Northern Mindanao, keeping around 28 minutes.


Another way of measuring income inequality between regions is the literacy rate, which indicates the quality of education in regions. In the 2000s, the literacy rate of the NCR was measured to be as high as 99.7%, compared to the ARMM’s simple literacy figure of 86.1%, which is still considerably high, but overall lower.


However, it should still be noted that there are considerable efforts being made to close this gap. In the timespan of 2010-2015, the ARMM’s household population saw a significant 8.37% increase in literacy rate. The overall infant mortality rate had also decreased, and showed significant improvement in the timespan of just 15 years. Furthermore, in 2018, the Bangsamoro Organic Law was passed, which planned to re-establish the ARMM as the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM or Bangsamoro) and bring about economic output, and establish policies that would invest in and correct the socioeconomic disparities in the region and Mindanao.


In conclusion, the socioeconomic gap that exists between the NCR and Bangsamoro is vast, with there being significant differences in general income, healthcare facilities, and education quality. However, the region has seen various improvements over the course of just under two decades, and thanks to the efforts of the government and the people, that gap is closing quickly.



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