The SWS survey estimates that around 13.2 million families consider themselves poor — higher than the 12.5 million estimated in June 2023.
Dominador Canoy, 42, who earns an average of six US dollars per day collecting plastic bottles floating on the river using his makeshift raft, is seen in his house erected at the banks of Pasig River in Manila on Aug. 19, 2016.MANILA, Philippines — Nearly half or 48% of Filipino families rated themselves as poor during the third quarter of the year, up by about three points from the previous period, according to a new Social Weather Stations survey.
The "borderline" category increased in Metro Manila and the Visayas, from 23% to 29% and 28% to 32%, respectively. However, it declined in Balance Luzon from 38% to 25% and in Mindanao from 33% to 25%. The SWS survey also revealed the Self-Rated Poverty Threshold, or the minimum monthly budget that Filipino families say they need to be considered not poor, has not changed for several years despite inflation.
The survey also asked self-rated non-poor families if they had ever experienced poverty in the past, revealing that 18.1% had been "newly non-poor" , 8.9% had been "usually non-poor" , and 24.9% had "always been non-poor." The government is bracing for possible attacks by cyber criminals who may take advantage of the long weekend to sow havoc...