The next administration should continue to distribute cash subsidies to the poor, build more roads and other infrastructure, and attract foreign investments, among others, to ease poverty and hunger in the country, a government economist said Tuesday.

National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) deputy director Dennis Arroyo admitted that many Filipinos are still hungry and poor despite the government’s efforts to uplift their conditions.

Arroyo noted that uncontrollable external forces have disrupted the country’s economic growth steered by the government in recent years.

He said the country was hit by high oil prices in 2005, food or rice shortage in 2008, global financial crisis in 2009, and the global climate problems this year. In 2006, poverty incidence rose to 33 percent, from 30 percent in 2003.

“We are warped by these mega forces beyond our shores. But what to be done in short term is conditional cash transfer program. It targets only the bottom poor. We have a list of families of bottom poor so if they can continue that, that will help very much,” he said.

As long-term solutions to poverty, Arroyo also proposed that micro finance lending, infrastructure development, education, and foreign investments should be continued by the incoming administration.

He also gave a different spin on how the rich got richer and the poor became poorer during the present administration.

“The poor got poorer and the rich got richer because of in a way the high tech sector flourished by the low tech sector was left behind,” he said.