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Janvic Mateo - The Philippine Star
May 10, 2025 | 12:00am
Residents of Barangay San Nicolas in Binondo, Manila go about their daily routine on September 20, 2023.
STAR / Edd Gumban
MANILA, Philippines — Filipino families who consider themselves poor sharply decreased in the first quarter of the year, a recent survey conducted by the OCTA Research group showed.
From 50 percent in November 2024, self-rated poverty dropped to 42 percent in the non-commissioned survey conducted from April 10 to 16.
OCTA said this translated to a drop of around 2.1 million poor families, from an estimated 13.2 million in November last year to 11.1 million in the latest poll.
Self-rated poverty dropped across areas, with the highest among respondents in Mindanao at 61 percent (from 69 percent) and the Visayas at 60 percent (from 59 percent).
It was followed by those in balance Luzon at 29 percent (from 43 percent) and Metro Manila at 28 percent (from 30 percent).
According to OCTA, self-rated food poverty – or when individuals or households struggle to obtain a sufficient and healthful diet – also dropped significantly in the latest survey.
It dropped from 49 percent or an estimated 12.9 million families in November 2024 to just 35 percent or an estimated 9.2 million families in the April survey.
Self-rated food poverty was also highest among respondents in Mindanao at 63 percent (from 72 percent), followed by those in the Visayas at 52 percent (from 60 percent), balance Luzon at 20 percent (from 41 percent) and Metro Manila at 14 percent (from 20 percent).
In terms of involuntary hunger, the OCTA survey showed it remained statistically unchanged, from 16 percent in November 2024 to 13 percent in April 2025.
It surged among respondents in Mindanao, from 10 percent to 23 percent, while it significantly dropped among those in balance Luzon, from 23 percent to just seven percent.
Involuntary hunger was experienced by around 15 percent of those in the Visayas and 11 percent of respondents in the Metro Manila (both were 11 percent in the previous survey).
OCTA’s April poll had 1,200 respondents and a margin of error of plus/minus three percent.
Speaker Martin Romualdez welcomed the results of the survey, saying the sharp drop in self-rated poverty and food insecurity proves that President Marcos’ socioeconomic agenda is taking root and changing lives.
“The numbers tell a powerful story of progress,” Romualdez said in a statement.
He called on local government units and lawmakers to sustain the momentum. — Jose Rodel Clapano
