One century of political domination of the Third District of Camarines Sur by the Fuentebellas has yielded nothing in terms of improving the lives of the people if a recent survey should serve as gauge. Six towns in the Third District of Camarines Sur are among the ten poorest in the province according to a survey conducted by the National Statistical Coordination Board in cooperation with the World Bank.

According to NSCB Secretary General Romulo A. Virola the study was conducted from April 2004 to November 2005 using poverty estimates in the year 2000.

In the publication entitled “Estimation of Local Poverty in the Philippines”, the municipality of Garchitorena came out as the poorest town in Camarines Sur with a poverty incidence rate of 0.6846.

Presentacion was 5th poorest with a poverty incidence rate of 0.6057 Caramoan, 6th with 0.5947 Sagñay; 7th with 0.5912; Siruma, 8th with 0.5876 and Tinambac, 9th with 0.5817.

Of the four remaining Third District towns. Lagonoy is 17th; Tigaon, 21st; Goa, 23rd; and San Jose 30th from the poorest. It meant that San Jose has the lowest poverty incidence rate in the Third District.

Other towns listed among the ten poorest are Balatan, 2nd with poverty incidence rate of 0.6326; Pasacao, 3rd with 0.6526; Cabusao, 4th with 0.6123 Del Gallego 10th with 0.5779.

Throughout the country, Camarines Sur was listed as 31st from the poorest province in the country, Sulu, which is closely followed by Mauindanao. Masbate was tagged the third poorest province in the country.

All four districts in the National Capital Region emerged as the most affluent trailed by provinces around Metro Manila like Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, Bataan and Bulacan.

Camarines Sur was rated better than Albay and Sorsogon but Catanduanes and Camarines Norte surprisingly registered above Camarines Sur.

All municipal and city mayors and governors were furnished copies of the publication purposely for monitoring and evaluation of local development plans and for identifying community-based poverty alleviation programs according to Virola.

Not one Bicol town was, however, included among the first 20 poorest towns in the country, the poorest Bicol town being San Pascual in Masbate which is the 30th from the town of Hadji Panglima Tahil in Sulu, the poorest in the entire Philippines.