Number of poor families up by 38% in 2nd quarter - SWS

MANILA, Philippines - The number of Filipino families who consider themselves poor rose by over a million to roughly half of the population in the second quarter of the year, a recent Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey revealed yesterday.

The SWS survey, conducted from June 25 to 28, found 50 percent of respondents or about 9.4 million families who rated themselves as “mahirap” or poor, up by seven points from 43 percent or an estimated 8.1 million families in March.

Results of the survey, published in the newspaper BusinessWorld yesterday, also showed that families who rated themselves as “food-poor” went up from a record low of 31 percent (5.9 million) in March to 38 percent (7.2 million) in June despite robust economic growth.

“We asked them to choose between two cards: poor or not poor. We did not ask them why they feel poor,” said Leo Larosa, a researcher at polling firm said.

This came despite government figures showing that the Philippines recorded a 7.9 percent economic growth rate in the first half of 2010, its best half-year growth record in more than 20 years.

The figures were significantly higher than the government’s latest poverty study in 2006 showing that 32.9 percent of the population or 27.6 million Filipinos were considered poor.

But an economic official said the two sets of data were not comparable as the survey showed people’s perception while the government figures were based on income and cost of essential goods.

Those surveyed “are comparing their situations. It may be they feel poorer even if they have enough income,” said government assistant economic planning director Myrna Asuncion.

SWS said Mindanao recorded the highest increase in self-rated poverty and food poverty, from 39 percent to 56 percent and from 32 percent to 48 percent, respectively.

Self-rated poverty rose from 38 percent to 48 percent in Metro Manila, while in the Visayas it jumped from 52 percent to 58 percent.

In balance Luzon, it barely changed from 43 percent in March to 44 percent in June.

SWS said self-rated poverty also rose by 13 points in areas from 45 percent in March to 58 percent in June.

It also went up by three points in urban areas from 41 percent to 44 percent.

The number of families who consider themselves food-poor increased in Metro Manila from 28 percent to 35 percent, in the Visayas 39 percent to 45 percent, and in balance Luzon from 29 percent to 31 percent.

The survey showed 34.5 percent of food-poor families claimed they experienced hunger. This was at 14.2 percent among the not food-poor and 12 percent in the food borderline categories.

It said hunger incidence was 27.6 percent among poor households, 20.3 percent among the not poor and 11.3 percent among families on the borderline.

Those who experienced Severe Hunger – not having anything to eat often or always in the last three months – was at 8.8 percent among the food poor, 1.5 percent among the not food poor and 1.2 percent among those on the food borderline.

Severe hunger was at 5.9 percent among poor households, 3.9 percent among the not poor and 1.6 percent among those on the borderline.