AROUND 16.3 million Filipino families or close to six of 10 families rated themselves as poor, the September 14 to 23 survey of Social Weather Stations (SWS) showed.
The survey, which involved 1,500 adult respondents with a margin of error of ±2.5 percent, showed that 59 percent said their families are not poor, statistically unchanged from 58 percent in June and 11 points higher than the 48 percent in September last year.
Thirteen percent (almost unchanged from 12 percent) said their families are “borderline” or are neither poor nor not poor; while 28 percent, down from 30 percent, said they are not poor.
SWS said the self-rated poor were highest in Mindanao with 67 percent (down from 71 percent), followed by those from the Visayas with 62 percent (down from 67 percent), Luzon with 55 percent (up from 52 percent) and the National Capital Region with 52 percent (up from 39 percent).
It also found that the respondents believe that they need at least P12,000 monthly for the family’s expenses in order not to be considered poor.
For those in Metro Manila or NCR, a family would need P18,000 a month; P15,000 in Luzon; and P10,000 in the Visayas and Mindanao in order not to be considered as poor.
SWS also found that around 12.7 million Filipino families, or 61 percent (unchanged from June but 12 points up from 49 percent in September 2023), said they are food-poor.
Eleven percent (down from 14 percent) said they are food borderline and 28 percent (up from 26 percent) said they are not food-poor.
SWS said the self-rated food poor were highest in Mindanao at 61 percent (unchanged); followed by the Visayas at 49 percent (from 50 percent); Luzon at 39 percent (down from 42 percent); and NCR at 39 percent (up from 31 percent).
SWS said the respondents also believe they need at least P7,000 monthly for the family’s food expenses in order not to be considered food-poor.
For those in NCR, a family would need P10,000 a month; P7,500 in Luzon; and P5,000 in the Visayas and Mindanao in order not to be considered as food poor.
