More than half of Filipino families rate selves as poor—SWS

MANILA — More than half of Filipino families considered themselves poor in September, according to a survey released Tuesday, as rising living costs drove millions more into self-rated poverty and food insecurity.

The quarterly poll by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) found that 55 percent of households—an estimated 16.8 million families—rated themselves as “mahirap” or poor. That marks a six-point surge from 49 percent, or 13.6 million families, recorded in June.

Self-rated food poverty had an even steeper rise, climbing eight percentage points from 36 percent in June to 44 percent in September. An estimated 13.3 million families now consider themselves food-poor, up from 10.2 million three months earlier.

The sharpest deterioration occurred in Luzon outside Metro Manila, where self-rated poverty jumped 10 percentage points to 51 percent.

Overall, poverty perception remained highest in the southern region of Mindanao at 64 percent, followed by the central Visayas at 63 percent, Luzon outside the capital at 51 percent, and Metro Manila at 44 percent.

SWS said that to avoid feeling poor, families reported needing a median monthly budget of P15,000 for general home expenses, up from P14,000 in June. The median monthly budget required strictly for food rose from P6,000 to P8,000 pesos nationwide.

The independent survey firm noted that self-rated poverty thresholds have remained sluggish in recent years despite inflation, indicating that impoverished households are being forced to cut back on basic needs and lower their living standards.

The survey revealed that 7.2 percent of respondents—representing 2.2 million families—were “newly poor,” having slipped into poverty within the past four years. Meanwhile, 38.7 percent (11.7 million families) reported never having escaped poverty.

Inflation has surged this year following the US-Israeli attacks on Iran in late February, which caused a wider war in the Middle East and pushed up oil prices.