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MANILA: Filipino families say they now need at least P12,000 monthly to stay out of poverty, with those in Metro Manila placing the threshold even higher at P20,000, the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showed.
Threshold, or the minimum monthly budget that families say they need for home expenses not to consider themselves poor, rose for the first time this year to P12,000, up from P10,000 last quarter.
The increase reflects the persistent rise in food, transport and utility costs.
Despite this adjustment, SWS noted that poverty thresholds have remained sluggish over time, suggesting that families have been lowering their standards and tightening their belts just to cope with the economic strain.
The nationwide survey, conducted from June 25 to 29, also found that 49pc of Filipino families still consider themselves poor, slightly lower than the 50pc recorded in April, but still equivalent to around 13.7 million households.
Broken down by region, Mindanao had the highest proportion of families rating themselves as poor at 69pc, an 8-point jump from April.
The Visayas followed at 60pc, then Balance Luzon at 38pc, and Metro Manila at 36pc.
The number of families who said they were “not poor” fell in most areas except in the Visayas, where it rose from 24pc to 28pc.
It declined to 57pc in Metro Manila (from 60pc) and to 21pc in Mindanao (from 29pc), while remaining steady in Balance Luzon at 52pc.
Food poverty also remains widespread. The June survey found 41pc of families considered themselves food-poor, the same level as in April.
Mindanao again led with the highest incidence at 60pc, followed by the Visayas (44pc), Balance Luzon (34pc) and Metro Manila (31pc).
The percentage of families who considered themselves not food-poor slightly declined to 49pc, while those on the food-poverty borderline rose to 10%, up from 7pc.
To keep up with essential living expenses, the average Filipino family now spends:
- P3,000 monthly for rent
- P2,000 for transportation to work or school
- P800 for internet connection
- P300 for mobile phone load
Families in Metro Manila reported the highest monthly internet cost at P1,000 and phone load at P420, while those in Mindanao had the lowest, spending only P350 and P200, respectively.
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