45% of Filipino families feel poor — Sept. 2021 SWS survey

MANILA, Philippines — Forty-five percent or 11.4 million Filipino families felt poor in September, lower by three percent in June, the Social Weather Stations (SWS) said.

In a survey result released on Saturday, the self-rated poverty result is lower than June’s 48 percent or 12 million families rating themselves as poor.

SWS showed that 34 percent rated themselves as borderline poor, and 21 percent considered themselves as not poor in September.

In June, 29 percent felt borderline poor while 23 percent considered themselves as not poor.

According to the SWS, the self-rated poor decreased in Metro Manila and Visayas while the borderline poor increased in all areas except Mindanao.

“Compared to June 2021, Self-Rated Poor fell in the Visayas from 70% to 54%. It fell in Metro Manila from 43% to 34%. It stayed at 38% in  Balance Luzon from June 2021 to September 2021. However, it rose in Mindanao from 51% to 58%,” the SWS said.

“On the other hand, Borderline Poor rose in the Visayas from 24% in June 2021 to 42% in September 2021. It rose in Metro Manila from 19% to 30%. It rose slightly in Balance Luzon from 28% to 32%. However, it fell in Mindanao from 42% to 34%,” it added.

Moreover, the Not Poor rating hardly moved in all areas. The SWS said “it went from 7% to 4% in the Visayas, from 38% to 37% in Metro Manila, from 34% to 30% in Balance Luzon, and from 7% to 8% in Mindanao.”

A total of 1,200 adults nationwide were interviewed face-to-face on the September 12 to 16 survey conducted by the SWS.

The sampling has an error margin of ±3% for national percentages and ±6% for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao.

Meanwhile, the Palace said the survey shows that progress has been made.

“The results of the survey… show that progress has been made in our efforts to reopen the economy and bounce back from the adverse economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic,” acting presidential spokesperson Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said in a statement on Sunday.

“The government believes that the increase in percentage of the vaccinated population and the drop in new COVID infections put us in a position to safely expand economic activities that will positively impact employment and reduce poverty. Our Economic Team estimates that placing Metro Manila, the center of trade and business in the Philippines, under Alert Level 2, with health and safety protocols still in place, will boost the economy by Php3.6-B and employment by 16,000 per week,” he added.

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