Sorsogon’s family poverty rate plummeted to 15.1 percent in 2025 from 28.4 percent in 2023, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), reflecting the lasting impact of infrastructure and policy reforms introduced by Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero during his term as provincial governor.
Escudero, who served as local chief executive from 2019 to 2022, commended the current provincial administration’s progress while calling for enhanced livelihood programs, expanded social protection, and stronger support for cooperatives to lift more families out of poverty.
He praised incumbent Sorsogon Governor Boboy Hamor for building upon and refining the foundational programs established under his administration.
“I commend Governor Boboy Hamor and the provincial government for building on these gains and expanding the initiatives we started, especially those that support farmers, fisherfolk, and small entrepreneurs. I’m pleased that the reforms we worked on are now bearing fruit. The challenge now is continuity,” Escudero added.
Hamor credited Escudero with laying the groundwork for Sorsogon’s economic development, noting his predecessor’s investments in health, infrastructure projects, and peace efforts as pillars for economic recovery.
“We are reaping the benefits of reforms that started years ago, and we will continue to strengthen programs that uplift Sorsoganons,” Hamor said.
According to the PSA, the nearly 50 percent reduction in family poverty incidence brought the number of impoverished families down to 32,000 from 53,400. The agency previously reported that the individual poverty rate dropped to 21.8 percent from 37.9 percent, reducing the total count of poor individuals from 330,400 to 187,700.
Escudero’s governorship spurred major infrastructure development across the province, including the 15.6-kilometer Sorsogon Coastal Road, the restoration of the Provincial Capitol, the construction of Museo Sorsogon, and the rehabilitation of tourism facilities at Bulusan Lake and Matnog. He also led the groundbreaking for the P49.5-million Sorsogon Cancer Treatment Center.
During COVID-19 lockdowns, Escudero accelerated local road construction projects to generate immediate employment and bolstered disaster preparedness at the barangay level.
His administration also supported peace and order initiatives, establishing a halfway house for former rebels and executing community development projects under the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), which delivered farm-to-market roads, water supply systems, electrification, and livelihood assistance.
The PSA noted that Sorsogon moved from Group 4 (20 to 30 percent poverty incidence) in 2023 to Group 5 (10 to 20 percent) in 2025, placing the province below the Bicol regional average of 16.8 percent. By 2025, no province in the Philippines registered a family poverty incidence exceeding 30 percent.