More Filipino families still consider themselves poor in the second quarter of 2018, according to the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey.
The poll, conducted from June 27 to 30 among 1,200 adults nationwide, showed that 48 percent or 11.1 million Filipino families considered themselves poor.
This is six points higher than the March 2018 survey wherein 42 percent or an estimated 9.8 million families rated themselves poor.
The SWS said the six-point increase resulted from the 18-point self-rated poverty increase in Mindanao, and 13-point increases in both the Visayas and Metro Manila.
Self-rated poverty in Mindanao during the second quarter was 60 percent, the highest since the 70 percent recorded in the third quarter of 2015.
It rose by 13 points in the Visayas, from 54 percent in the first quarter to 67 percent in the second quarter.
The second quarter poverty numbers in the Visayas were the highest since the 71 percent in the fourth quarter of 2015.
In Metro Manila, self-rated poverty was at 43 percent in the second quarter, compared to the 30 percent in the previous quarter.
The Philippine capital’s second quarter poverty numbers were the highest since the 43 percent in 2014’s last quarter.
Meanwhile, self-rated poverty was down five points in Balance Luzon during the second quarter, from 40 percent from the first quarter down to 35 percent in the second.
Respondents in Metro Manila said they need a monthly budget of P20,000 for them not to be considered poor.
A monthly budget of P15,000 was needed by those in Balance Luzon, P11,000 in the Visayas, and P15,000 in Mindanao.
“The SRPT [Self-Rated Poverty Threshold] for Mindanao, Balance Luzon and Metro Manila are at record highs,” the SWS said.
The same survey also showed that 34 percent or an estimated 7.8 million families also rated their food as “poor,” which is five points higher in a quarter-on-quarter basis.
In terms of geographical area, food poverty went up to 45 percent in Mindanao, 23 percent in Metro Manila and 26 percent in Balance Luzon.
The Visayas remained steady at 45 percent.
For families not to be considered food poor, a monthly budget of P10,000 is needed in Metro Manila, P5,000 in Balance Luzon, P6,000 in the Visayas, and P7,000 in Mindanao.
“The values for Metro Manila and the Visayas are record highs in the area,” the polling firm said.
Of the 48 percent self-rated poor families, 36 percent said they had always been poor.
Of the 12 percent who transitioned into poverty, 6 percent said they used to be non-poor five or more years ago (“usually poor”), while the other 6 percent used to be non-poor one to four years ago (“newly poor”).
The second quarter numbers were the same as the 6 percent of newly poor recorded during the first quarter.
Of the remaining 52 percent who consider themselves to be non-poor families, 26 percent said they had never experienced poverty.
Of the other 26 percent who transitioned out of poverty, 18 percent said they used to be poor five or more years ago, and 9 percent said they used to be poor one to four years ago.
During the first quarter, the SWS said 12 percent had said that they were newly non-poor.
The poll results were obtained using face-to-face interviews, questioning 300 individuals for each locale.
The survey had sampling error margins of ±3 percent for national percentages and ±6 percent each for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.