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- The number of Filipino families that consider themselves as poor increased in latest SWS survey.
- Approximately 12.2 million families classify themselves as poor in the third quarter of the year.
In a recent Social Weather Stations report, it was found out that 52 percent or roughly 12.2 million Filipino families classify themselves as poor. It is now the highest number since President Duterte took over in 2016.
This is four points higher than the 48 percent rate or 11.1 million families result from June 2018 and is the highest since December 2014.
Respondents said that they need a monthly budget of roughly ₱10,000 to classify themselves as non-poor.
The survey also showed families that are “newly poor” which refers to the respondents that did not classify themselves as poor one to four years ago, however, considered themselves poor at the recent survey. It showed an eight percent increase in newly poor families.
Graph Courtesy of Social Weather Stations
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque attributed the survey results to inflation which hit a nine-year high in September and the destruction brought by typhoon Ompong.
“Nauunawaan namin ang sentimyento ng ating mga kababayan. Sa buwan ng Setyembre kung kailan isinagawa ang survey, ang inflation ay pumalo sa 6.7%, ayon sa Philippine Statistics Authority.
“The destruction to agriculture and infrastructure caused by Typhoon Ompong in the Cordillera, Ilocos and Cagayan regions contributed to higher inflation. Walang pamilyang Pilipino ang dapat magutom. Iyan ang atas at hangarin ng Pangulo.
“Kasama na rito ang direktiba ng Pangulo sa kanyang huling pagpupulong sa mga miyembro ng kanyang gabinete na walang limitasyon sa pag-aangkat ng bigas para palakasin ang suplay ng bigas at mapababa ang presyo nito.”
