Half of Filipino families feel poor on last months of Duterte admin

DAVAO CITY - More Filipino families felt poor during the last months of the administration of former president Rodrigo Duterte, according to a report by CNN Philippines.

The TV network cited the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey released recently. It said the nationwide survey conducted on June 26 to 29 - the last week of the Duterte administration - showed that 48% of Filipino families rated themselves as poor.

According to the report, SWS estimated the self-rated poor Filipino families to be around 12.2 million - an increase from the 10.9 million or 43% count in a similar poll conducted in April.

It said around 31% of respondent families evaluated themselves as borderline poor, which SWS defines as the “horizontal line dividing poor and not poor.” The remaining 21% considered themselves as not poor.

The SWS survey also showed that “poor” families in Metro Manila, Balance Luzon (areas outside Metro Manila), Visayas, and Mindanao increased, CNN Philippines said, adding Visayas recorded the highest rise from 48% in April to 64% in June. Metro Manila followed with 41%--up from its 32% count in April; and Mindanao and Balance Luzon tallied slight increases to 62% and 36% respectively.

It said the June 2022 survey also found that 34% of Filipino families categorized themselves as "food-poor," while 40% felt they are “borderline food-poor.” The remaining 26% rated themselves as “not food-poor.” (Mindanao Examiner)