Manila, July 7 -- The Philippines has officially crossed into the ranks of upper-middle-income countries-a milestone, that, on paper signals economic improvement but, as to the impact on the daily lives of Filipinos, is far more complex.

The World Bank moved the Philippines to upper-middle-income classification after the country hit the Gross National Income (GNI) of USD4,850-exceeding the income threshold of USD4,636 for the fiscal year, which it attributed to "broad-based expansion" that reflected gains across all major industries in the past five years.

For policymakers, this milestone is proof that the country is moving in the right direction and that years of economic policies and reforms have bolstered the economy. But for the or...