Palace on PSA’s monthly poverty threshold: ‘Pinag-aralan nila ‘yun’

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Thursday stood by the estimate of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) that a family of five can survive in a month with a budget of P10, 481.

“I’m sure pinag-aralan nila iyon, ‘di ba? I’m sure tinanong nila iyong mga respondents sa survey, tapos nakuha nila iyong average. Iyon siguro iyon,” Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a Palace briefing.

(I’m sure they studied that, right? I’m sure they asked the survey respondents and computed the average.)

The PSA on Wednesday reported a 6.6 percent decline in poverty incidence in the first semester of 2018 from the same period in 2015.

READ: PSA: Poverty falls 6.6% from 1st half of 2015 to 2018

For 2018, the PSA pegged the monthly poverty threshold for a family of five at P10,481, with food expenses accounting for P7,337. This translates to P349 per day to cover food, housing, clothing, health care, education, transportation, utilities and other costs for a family of five.

Pressed if the monthly poverty threshold is realistic, Panelo said: “Depende sa lifestyle nung kumakain (It depends on the lifestyle of the people).”

The PSA estimate, according to opposition senatorial bets Samira Gutoc and Neri Colmenares, is “unrealistic.”

“Maybe a figure somewhere around P15,000 for a family of five would be a more realistic poverty threshold. Congress should come up with legislation setting a better standard so that the PSA does not end up as a window dressing agency and fodder for government propaganda,” Colmenares suggested.

“The PSA needs to come up with better, credible figures for its reports. It should be closer to realities. Sometimes, those in government use their figures to keep tabs on the prices of goods, decide on wage increases and many more,” Gutoc noted. /ee

READ: Colmenares, Gutoc: Decline in poverty incidence ‘unrealistic’