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12.2M Filipino families say they are poor; 8 percent are newly-poor: SWS

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ABS-CBN News

<p>MANILA - The number of Filipinos who believe they are poor has hit a percentage last seen nearly 4 years ago, according to a Social Weather Stations (SWS) released Wednesday.</p><p>Fifty-two percent of 1,500 respondents in the September poll considered themselves as poor. This translates to around 12.2 million families, the SWS said in a statement.</p><p>The figure is the highest since the similar 52 percent in December 2014, the pollster said.</p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/news/10/10/20181010-sws1.jpg"/></figure></div><p>The September survey also found that of the 52 percent self-rated poor families, 8 percent are &quot;newly-poor&quot; and used to be non-poor 1 to 4 years ago, and 6 percent used to be non-poor 5 or more years ago.</p><p>The remaining 39 percent said they have always been poor, the SWS said.</p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/news/10/10/20181010-sws2.jpg"/></figure></div><p>The 52 percent figure is this year&#x27;s second consecutive increase in self-rated poverty, which was at 42 percent in March and 48 percent in June.</p><p>Self-rated poverty has increased 10 points in total between March and September 2018, the SWS noted.</p><div><strong>MONTHLY BUDGET OF THE POOR</strong></div><p>Meanwhile, of the 48 percent self-rated non-poor families, 10 percent used to be poor 1 to 4 years ago or are &quot;newly non-poor&quot;, and 13 percent used to be poor 5 or more years ago.</p><p>The remaining 25 percent have never experienced poverty.</p><p>The third quarter reading also showed that 36 percent or about 8.5 million families considered the type of food they eat as &quot;mahirap&quot; or &quot;food-poor.&quot;</p><p>This is 2 points above the 34 percent or 7.8 million in June 2018, and is the highest since the 37 percent in June 2015.</p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/news/10/10/20181010-sws3.jpg"/></figure></div><p>Respondents said they needed a monthly budget of P10,000 for them not to be considered poor. However, they lack P5,000 to meet that monthly threshold.</p><p>For self-rated food poverty, the threshold was P5,000 a month but respondents said they were short of that by P3,500.</p><p>When President Rodrigo Duterte assumed office in June 2016, self-rated poverty was at 45 percent.</p><p>Duterte has promised to uplift the poor by spreading development to the countryside, increasing spending on agriculture and <a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/business/07/19/17/duterte-tax-reform-medicine-bitter-or-sweet" target="_blank">lowering income tax rates</a>.</p><p>The September 15 to 23 survey has sampling error margins of ±3% for national percentages.</p>

<p>The number of Filipinos who believe they are poor has hit a percentage last seen nearly 4 years ago, according to a Social Weather Stations (SWS) released Wednesday.</p>

The number of Filipinos who believe they are poor has hit a percentage last seen nearly 4 years ago, according to a Social Weather Stations (SWS) released Wednesday.