Fewer families see themselves poor

MANILA, Philippines - The number of Filipino families who rated themselves “mahirap” or poor fell by 700,000 in the first quarter of the year, the Social Weather Stations (SWS) said in its latest survey.

The poll, taken from March 30 to April 2, found 46 percent of respondents or about 10.5 million families rating themselves poor, an improvement from 50 percent or 11.2 million families in December 2015.

According to SWS, the four-point drop in self-rated poverty rate nationwide was due to declines in the Visayas, Metro Manila and balance Luzon.

The self-rated poverty rate, however, rose by two points in Mindanao, the pollster said.

It fell by 14 points in the Visayas to 57 percent in April, nine points lower than its 2015 average of 66 percent, and the lowest since June 2013.

It also dipped to 30 percent in Metro Manila from 37 percent. This was three points below the 2015 Metro Manila average of 33 percent, and the lowest since its March 2004 rate of 30 percent.

Self-rated poverty also fell in balance Luzon to 44 percent last month from 46 percent in December, a point above the 43 percent average for the area in 2015.

It went up by two points in Mindanao to 53 percent in April from 51 percent in December. This was 10 points lower than the area’s full-year average of 63 percent.

The latest self-rated poverty rate was the lowest in over four years or since December 2011’s 45 percent, the SWS noted.

The survey used face-to-face interviews of 1,500 adults nationwide and has sampling error margins of plus or minus three percentage points for national percentages and plus or minus six percentage points each for Metro Manila, balance Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao.

Results of the latest SWS survey were published in the newspaper BusinessWorld yesterday.

Meanwhile, the same survey also showed fewer Filipino households who considered themselves “food-poor.”

It found 31 percent or an estimated 6.9 million families who claimed the type of food they eat as “food-poor.” 

This was two points below the 33 percent or 7.4 million registered in December last year.

SWS said declines were recorded in the Visayas and Mindanao regions. The pollster recorded a steady score in Metro Manila and a three-point rise in balance Luzon.

Self-rated food poverty fell by 17 points in the Visayas to 33 percent in April from 50 percent in December.

It dropped by four points in Mindanao to 37 percent from 41 percent. This was 14 points below the 2015 Mindanao average of 51 percent, and the lowest rate since the 30 percent reported in December 2011.

Self-rated food poverty, however, rose in balance Luzon to 29 percent from 26 percent in December. This was one point above the area’s 2015 average of 28 percent.

It hardly changed in Metro Manila to 22 percent in April from 21 percent in December. This was similar to the 2015 average of 22 percent for the National Capital Region.

Direct interventions

At Malacañang, presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda yesterday said the administration was not only content with the vibrant economy and its trickle down effect but also pursued more direct interventions such as the conditional cash transfer program. 

“All this has resulted in the strengthening of our economy and the expansion of opportunities for our countrymen,” he said, reacting to the drop in the self-rated poverty rate nationwide.

“Latest studies from the DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development) show that the program has not only successfully lifted millions above the poverty threshold, but has also placed families in a better position to break the intergenerational cycle of poverty,” Lacierda said. – With Delon Porcalla