Bayan questions P96-per-day PSA remark

MANILA, Philippines — Progressive group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) questioned the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA)’s remark that a Filipino surviving on P96 a day is no longer considered poor.

The group described the figure as a blatant distortion of the real conditions facing workers and ordinary Filipinos.

“If the government insists that P96 a day is enough to live on, then it is not merely out of touch – it is insulting the poor, with inflation at 7.6 percent and the miserably low wages of workers,” Bayan said.

“Filipinos are being eaten away every single day. A thousand pesos is now worth only around P720. That is the reality. So we ask the government: where did you pull this data claiming that P96 a day is enough for a Filipino to survive? Show us your basis,” it added.