Survey: 10.5M Filipino families are still poor

Pegged at ‘multi-year lows’, about 10.5 million Filipino families remained poor in the first quarter of the year, while some 6.9 million could barely have enough food to eat, according to the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey.

The survey, conducted between March 30 and April 2, showed that the poverty and food poverty figure were “multi-year lows” under the Aquino administration, Manila Times reported.

The survey also reportedly revealed that 46 percent of respondents, or about 10.5 million families, rated themselves mahirap or poor, an improvement from the 50 percent or 11.2 million in December 2015.

SWS noted the 46 percent was the lowest in over four years or since December 2011’s 45 percent, reflecting drops across all regions except in Mindanao, the report said.

“The four-point decline in self-rated poverty rate nationwide in the first quarter of 2016 was because of a decline in the Visayas, Metro Manila and Balance Luzon, combined with a 2-point rise in Mindanao,” SWS reportedly said.

The highest self-rated poverty was at 55 percent in March 2012, December 2013 and June and September 2014, said the news portal.

The SWS survey also reportedly found that 31 percent or an estimated 6.9 million families consider the type of food they eat as “food-poor,” two points below the 33 percent or 7.4 million logged in December last year.

It matched the record low of 31 percent first recorded in March 2010.

The SWS attributed the April dip to the reported declines in self-rated food poverty rates in the Visayas and Mindanao regions.

Meanwhile, the median self-rated poverty threshold or the lowest monthly home expense budget needed by the poorer half of poor households not to consider themselves as such, remained at PhP20,000 in Metro Manila and P10,000 in Balance Luzon, in the Visayas and in Mindanao, Manila Times reported.