MANILA - RISING food and fuel prices have eroded initial gains made by the Philippines in achieving its Millennium Development Goals of reducing poverty and hunger by 2015, officials said on Tuesday.

The Philippines was also likely to miss its goals of reducing maternal deaths due to pregnancy and providing universal access to primary education and reproductive health services, three of eight indicators to reduce poverty by 50 per cent by 2015.

About 190 countries across the world signed a declaration in September 2000 to improve education and health services, protect the environment and cut global hunger by half within 15 years.

'The Philippines has done quite well, but is facing question marks especially in poverty reduction,' said Ms Suneeta Mukherjee of the United Nations Population Fund, adding there had been some reverses in poverty reduction due to rising inflation.

The country's annual inflation rate rose to 12.5 per cent in August, the highest in 17 years, due to soaring prices of food and fuel.

In September, it fell back to 11.9 per cent. 'I must admit that it did impact,' Ramon Falcon of the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) told reporters, referring to the effect of inflation on the government's poverty reduction programme.

'From 2003 to 2006, we experienced a worsening in the poverty incidence from 24 per cent of families who are below the poverty line in 2003 to about 26.9 per cent in 2006.'

Mr Falcon said incomes rose by 16 per cent during that period but inflation was 21 per cent.

He said education and health remained the country's most challenging goals to meet its millennium development targets, such as providing 80 per cent access to reproductive health services to lower maternal deaths by 75 per cent.

The Philippines has also committed to provide 100 per cent access to primary education.

Half-way through to the 2015 goal, Mr Falcon said the country was hitting only about 80 per cent of the education target and about 11 mothers are still dying every day due to pregnancy-related causes.

'We need to double and triple our efforts in improving maternal health,' he said, adding the government wanted to bring down pregnancy-related deaths to 52 per 100,000 births from the current rate of 162.

Conflict and family plannning
Mr Rafael Alunan, a former cabinet member, said lack of peace and order was also a major impediment in achieving the country's development goals.

'It holds back crucial investments, business growth and socio-economic development,' he said.

'Unless these conflicts are resolved with finality, poverty and overall backwardness in those areas that are affected would continue to prevail.'

Ms Janette Garin, a congressman allied with President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, said the enactment of a controversial family planning bill in Congress would help push the country toward meeting its target of reducing maternal deaths.

'We don't have a concrete reproductive health care programme,' Ms Garin said, adding the government was not pushing it hard due to pressures from some influential sectors, including the Catholic church.

'We cannot have an exclusive natural family planning method. It should be all options.' -- REUTERS