MANILA, Philippines — Majority of Filipino families considered themselves as poor in the third quarter of 2018, according to the latest Social Weather Stations survey.
The poll released Tuesday night found that 52 percent or an estimated 12.2 million Filipino families see themselves as poor.
This is a four-point increase from the 48 percent self-rated poverty rate in June and the highest since December 2014, when a 52 percent rating was also registered.
The SWS noted that this is also the second consecutive increase in self-rated poverty for this year.
Self-rated poverty was at 42 percent in March, making it an increase of 10 points in half a year.
The survey also found that among the 52 percent who consider themselves poor, 8 percent are newly poor, meaning they used to be non-poor one to four years ago.
Around 6 percent used to be non-poor five or more years ago while the remaining 39 percent have never experienced being non-poor.
Among the 48 percent who said they were not poor, 10 percent are newly non-poor, 13 percent are usually non-poor while 25 percent have never experienced poverty.
Meanwhile, 36 percent or an estimated 8.5 million families consider themselves food-poor. This is a two-point increase in the 34 percent or estimated 7.8 million in the previous quarter.
Among regions, Balance Luzon registered the largest increase in self-rated poverty with 12 points from 35 percent in June to 47 percent in September.
Mindanao's rating rose by five points from 60 percent last June to 65 percent in September.
Metro Manila, on the other hand, experienced a 17-point dip from 43 percent in the second quarter to 26 percent in the third quarter.
The self-rated poverty threshold or the minimum monthly budget for families are P15,000 in Metro Manila and balance Luzon and P10,000 in Visayas and Mindanao.
The self-rated poverty gap or how much the poorer half of the poor lack in order not to be poor is at P6,000 in Balance Luzon and P5,000 in Metro Manila, Visayas and Mindanao.
The survey was conducted from September 15 to 23 using face-to-face interviews among 1,500 Filipino adults nationwide.
The poll has sampling error margins of ±3 percent for national percentages, ±4 percent for balance Luzon and ±6 percent each for Metro Manila, Visayas and Mindanao.
"The quarterly Social Weather Surveys on the family's self-rated poverty and self-rated food-poverty are directed to the household head are not commissioned. They are done on SWS's own initiative and released as a public service," SWS said.