The Republic of the Philippines has made progress in meeting the Millennium Development Goals. It has achieved gender equality in education, reduced the mortality rate among children aged five and under, reduced the incidence of tuberculosis cases, and increased access to water and sanitation services. The country has strong potential for development because of its natural and human resources.
Nevertheless, the Philippines still ranks 112 out of 187 countries on the United Nations Development Programme's 2011 human development index. Progress is threatened by economic and social inequality, as well as by regional disparities, especially in the conflict-affected provinces of the island of Mindanao. Ensuring that social services reach the poor remains a major challenge. Women in the labour force are confined largely to low-wage, low-productivity jobs and have limited access to land ownership, credit, and training. Natural disasters such as hurricanes and floods have resulted in severe losses of life and property and have constrained efforts to reduce poverty. Almost one out of four Filipinos lives on less than US$1.25/day.
Ross is known as the Pambansang Blogger ng Pilipinas - An Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Professional by profession and a Social Media Evangelist by heart.
