FAMILIES rating themselves poor were estimated at 42.3% of the total in September, inching down from the 45% in March but higher than the record-low 38% in June, the Social Weather Stations (SWS) polling organization said.

SWS said in a statement Monday that the families who responded that they were “mahirap” or poor in its self-rated poverty survey were equivalent to about 10.3 million families.

SWS said the non-commissioned survey puts the 2019 average so far is significantly lower compared to 2018 levels. “The resulting 42% three-quarter average proportion of Self-Rated Poor families for 2019 is 6 points below the 48% four-quarter average for 2018.”

The survey was conducted on 1,800 adults across the country.

SWS also reported that the self-rated poverty (SRP) threshold for September, or the minimum income needed for families to survive is P10,000, lower than the P15,000 SRP threshold in June.

About 29% of families or an estimated 7.1 million families consider themselves “Food Poor,” down from 35% in June and just above the record low 27% in March.

“The resulting 30% three-quarter average proportion of Self-Rated Food Poor families for 2019 is 3 points below the 33% four-quarter average for 2018,” SWS said.

The Self-Rated Food Poverty (SRFP) threshold is P5,000. This is lower than the P6,000 recorded in June 2019. — Gillian M. Cortez

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