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12.1 million families consider themselves poor –SWS Q3 poll
A third quarter 2014 survey taken by pollster Social Weather Stations estimated that around 12.1 million families considered themselves poor.
The SWS poll found that 55 percent of respondents considered themselves poor—three points higher than the 52 percent average in the four quarters of 2013.
There was also a rise in self-rated poverty in Metro Manila and Luzon.
Additionally, the SWS survey estimated that 9.3 million families considered themselves food-poor. This was two points higher than the 41 percent in the second quarter and four points higher than the 39 percent four-quarter average in 2013.
Malacañang on Monday maintained that the government's anti-poverty measures are working despite a recent Social Weather Stations (SWS) showing a rise in the number of Filipinos who consider themselves poor.
At a press conference, presidential spokesman Secretary Edwin Lacierda once again cited National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) data showing a decrease in poverty incidence from 27.9 percent during the first semester of 2012, to 24.9 percent in 2013.
President Benigno Aquino III used the same figures in his State of the Nation Address (SONA) last July to show his administration's supposed gains in combating poverty.
"I think the consistent and focused poverty alleviation measures that the government has undertaken shows a positive effect on the reduction of poverty," Lacierda told reporters after citing NEDA data during the briefing.
Lacierda further compared the 10,000 households taken into account by the NEDA figures to the 1,200 respondents of the SWS survey.
"We don’t question their [SWS'] methodology, by the way. We are just stating facts that, for instance, on the Annual Poverty Indicator Survey—he survey that government has conducted—it has a bigger set of respondents," the Palace official said.
"It means there is a more drill-down of details on the statistics on poverty, but again, we note the surveys," he added. — Andreo Calonzo/RSJ, GMA News
The SWS poll was taken from September 26 to 29, with 1,200 respondents, and had sampling error margins of ±3% for national and ±6% for area percentages.
Geographically
Self-rated poverty was six points higher in Metro Manila, at 43 percent, from 37 percent in June, and seven points higher in Balance Luzon at 52 percent from 45 percent.
This, however, was down 10 points in Mindanao to 61 percent from 71 percent; and nine points in the Visayas to 65 percent from 74 percent.
Self-rated food poverty was three points higher in Metro Manila at 30 percent, from 27 percent in June. It was higher five points in Balance Luzon to 37 percent from 32 percent.
Meanwhile, self-rated food poverty was “hardly changed” in the Visayas at 53 percent in September from 54 percent in June. It went down three points in Mindanao to 52 percent from 55 percent.
Self-rated poverty threshold
The self-rated poverty threshold, or the monthly budget poor households need for home expenses so they would not consider themselves poor in general, increased to a median of P15,000 from P12,000 in Metro Manila.
It remained at P10,000 in Balance Luzon and Mindanao, and fell to P8,000 from P10,000 in the Visayas.
“The September 2014 median self-rated poverty thresholds in Metro Manila, Balance Luzon and Mindanao are at the highest levels ever reached in those areas, while the latest figure in the Visayas was previously surpassed in June 2014, when it was at P10,000,” the SWS explained.
This minimum home budget is less than the minimum income needed as it excludes work-related expenses like transportation.
Thus, the median poverty threshold “is the home expense budget that would satisfy the poorer half of the poor households.”
Self-rated food poverty threshold
The self-rated food poverty threshold, or the monthly food budget that food-poor households need so as not to consider themselves food-poor, rose to a median of P8,000 from P6,000 in Metro Manila.
It went up to P5,250 from P5,000 in Balance Luzon; and to P5,000 from P4,500 in Mindanao.
But it dropped to a median of P3,550 in the Visayas from P5,000 in June.
The SWS pointed out that the third-quarter median self-rated food-poverty thresholds in Mindanao and Balance Luzon were the highest levels ever reached in those areas.
The current level in Metro Manila was lower than the September 2013 level of P8,250.
In the Visayas, the highest level recorded so far was last June at P5,000. — Joel Locsin/DVM, GMA News
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