Manila, Philippines — For the third consecutive month, the number of Filipino families that rate or consider themselves poor rose by at least 1% in March, says Social Weather Stations survey.
In a recent survey, SWS revealed that in March, 52% of Filipino families consider themselves as poor, which is equivalent to 14.4 million Filipino households.
This is one percentage higher than the 51% in February which is equivalent to 14.3 million Filipino families.
Self-rated poverty in March is the highest in Visayas with 62%, followed by Mindano with 60%, Balance Luzon with 46%, and Metro Manila at 41%.
Based on the same survey, 12% of Filipino families said that they are at the borderline of being poor and not poor, also one-point lower than of February’s results.
Meanwhile, for three consecutive months, the number of Filipino families considering themselves not poor were at 36%.
This is 10% higher than the data from December 2024, with 26%.
Similarly, the hunger rate in poor Filipino families also rose, with 27.2% experiencing involuntary hunger, and 35.6% hunger rate among self-rated poor Filipino families.
These survey results serve as a reference for studies conducted by the national government in terms of poverty incidence in the country.
Based on the 2023 poverty Statistics of Philippine Statistics Authority, there has been a decline of poverty incidence in all the 10 basic sectors in the country during the period between 2021 and 2023.
This decline resulted in a 2.6% decline in the poverty incidence at the national level.
Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao noted that there are a lot of factors that affect the well-being of Filipinos, which results in them referring to themselves as poor.
She cited as an example to successive typhoons and calamities that hit the country in 2024, the inflation rate, as well as low income as factors that may affect the well-being of Filipinos and consider themselves poor.
“May mga iba’t ibang kadahilanan kung bakit bumababa ‘yong level of well-being and bakit may mga pamilya na tingin nila, nagugutom sila o naghihirap sila. But then again, ang mahalaga po para sa amin, mayroong mga iba’t ibang interventions ang pamahalaan para ma-caution ang impact nito, at hindi bumaba at ma-trap sa poverty ang ating mga kababayan,” she said.
Dumlao said that there is a difference between the results of such quarterly surveys and of the annual studies of the government, but these serve as a reference for them.
Using these materials, she said that the government can track programs that need improvement for the betterment of Filipinos.
“Sabi nga po ni Pangulong Marcos J.r, dapat maibaba natin ang poverty incidence to a single digit percentage before the end of his term. DSWD is committed to contributing to the attainment of that goal. At pingasisiskapan po namin na mas mapabilis pa yung pagbaba ng poverty incidence sa bansa,” Dumlao added.