DOST-FNRI washes hands off Neda’s poverty threshold: PSA did the math

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Science and Technology’s Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) played no role in deciding on the National Economic and Development Authority’s controversial poverty threshold.

At the Senate’s marathon plenary debates on the proposed 2025 funding of the DOST past midnight on Thursday, Sen. Minority Leader Koko Pimentel asked FNRI whether it was the source of the figure that Neda issued.

He was referring to Neda’s earlier disclosure that a Filipino only needs to spend P64 per day for meals to not be considered food poor.

READ: You’re not food poor if you spend at least P64 daily for meals – Neda

“Is the FNRI the source of the figure of Neda? When Neda reached the figure of around P64 per day?” asked the opposition leader.

At the end of Pimentel’s prodding was Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri who was answering on behalf of the DOST as the agency’s budget sponsor.

“[H]indi galing sa kanila po (It’s not from them). They came up with a formula on the nutritional value of the food products that will give enough nutrition per day,” said Zubiri.

“So hindi po yung amount. Yung amount Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) na po ang naglagay ng amount, pero ang nutritional formula [ay] sa kanila (So it’s not the amount. The PSA set the amount, but the nutritional formula [is] theirs.),” he added.

Pimentel, for his part, proceeded to ask whether the nutritional formula and composition was consulted with other agencies.

Zubiri answered in the affirmative.

An up to date Philippine poverty threshold is set to come out in May 2025, Sen. Grace Poe previously disclosed. According to Neda chief Arsenio Balisacan, the country’s food poor threshold in 2021 was at P55 while it was at P63 in 2023.