MANILA (UPDATE) — Almost half of Filipino families feel poor, according to a Social Weather Stations survey released Tuesday.

The Sept. 28 to Oct. 1 poll found that 48 percent of Filipino families rated themselves as mahirap or poor, 25 percent said they were not poor, and 27 percent rated placed themselves on the borderline.

Compared to June 2023, the percentage of poor families rose by 3 points from 45 percent. Borderline families fell by 6 points from 33 percent, and families which were not poor rose by 3 points from 22 percent.

This is equal to 13.2 million self-rated poor families in September and 12.5 million in June. The SWS arrived at these estimates by applying the percentage of self-rated poor respondents to the Philippine Statistics Authority's medium-population projections for 2023.

The 3-point rise in the nationwide self-rated poor figure between June and September "was due to increases in all areas, especially in Mindanao, combined with a decline in Balance Luzon" or Luzon areas outside Metro Manila, the pollster said.

That’s despite the easing of unemployment and underemployment rate in August, and the wage hikes recently approved in parts of the country.

“Based on past surveys self-rated poverty is significantly affected by factors like the family's experience of involuntary hunger, presence of jobless household members, and high inflation rate,” said Leo Laroza, SWS Director for Communications and Information Technology in a message.

The same survey found that 6.6 percent or 1.8 million families were "newly poor", meaning they were not poor 1 to 4 years ago.

The Marcos administration eyes bringing down the poverty incidence in the country to 8.8 to 9 percent by 2028 from 18.1 percent in 2021, the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) said in June.

• Controversial lawyer Larry Gadon is Marcos Jr's adviser on poverty alleviation
• Triumphant Marcos faces high expectations from Philippines poor

Economist Calixto Chikiamco meanwhile attributed the higher number of self-rated poor Filipino families to high inflation, driven by the prices of food and fuel.

“Ang pagkain ay nagre-represent ng siguro mga kalahati sa expenditures ng average Filipino. So ‘pag tumataas ang presyo ng pagkain, parang you feel poorer, mas mukhang mahirap ka, dahil mas konti ang mabibili mo sa iyong income,” he said.

Chikiamco also views the survey results as an indication that the country’s economic growth is not inclusive.

To help address poverty, he said the government should increase agricultural productivity, bring down food prices, and improve public education.

“Sa agriculture, ang kailangan dyan is paggamit ng makinarya, science, technology, para mag-increase ang production. At the same time, kailangan mag-invest tayo sa human capital. Yung edukasyon. Yan ang route ng ibang tao out of poverty,” Chikiamco said.

For the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the survey results will be useful in guiding the government as it seeks to improve the implementation of social protection and poverty alleviation programs like the TUPAD program, the conditional cash transfer program and the food stamp program.

“It is possible that those who gave negative reaction were mostly from the informal sector and did not derive relief from such wage increase and/ or their expectation of a better life has not yet been realized,” said Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma in a text message.

"Iginagalang natin ang survey ng SWS. ‘Yung mga ganitong datos ay nakakatulong sa pagkakasa ng mga naakmang programa para magamit natin to improve the lives of our kababayans,” DSWD Assistant Secretary Romel Lopez added.

House Deputy Minority Leader and ACT Teachers Party List Rep. France Castro, meanwhile, pushed for junking the excise tax and value added tax on fuel, and the passage of the proposed wealth tax on the country’s billionaires.

"The latest SWS survey saying that almost half of Filipino families or around 13.2 million families consider themselves poor is a result of the anti-poor policies of the Marcos administration and its push for projects that will benefit the rich rather than the poor like the Maharlika Investment Fund. Instead of increasing budget for health, education and ayuda the Marcos administration slashed their budgets but maintained high budgets for confidential and intelligence funds,” she said in a statement.

Deputy Minority Leader and Bagong Henerasyon Party List Representative Bernadette Herrera, for her part, said supply availability should be enhanced.

“I hope the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas will not increase its interest rates because higher lending rates will increase the numbers of Filipinos at the Borderline of Self-Rated Poverty. It would be better to enhance supply availability, including improving the flow of cargoes out of the seaports and to the retailers,” she said.

The SWS poll used face-to-face interviews with 1,200 adults. It had a sampling error margin of ±2.8 percent for national percentages.

• Survey: Inflation still top national concern of Filipinos
• BSP hints at an off-cycle interest rate hike if inflation further quickens

Watch more News on iWantTFC

Watch more News on iWantTFC