Self-rated poverty, hunger down in Q3

MANILA, Philippines — An estimated 12.1 million Filipino families considered themselves poor in the third quarter of 2023, down from 13.2 million in the previous quarter, a recent survey conducted by the OCTA Research group showed.

Results of the Sept. 30 to Oct. 4 survey released yesterday showed that self-rated poverty was at 46 percent, down four points from the 50 percent obtained in a similar survey conducted in July.

Self-rated poverty was at 43 percent in March 2023 and 41 percent in October 2022.

Based on the latest survey, those who said they were “not poor” increased from nine percent to 13 percent, while those who cannot say if they are poor or not decreased from 41 percent to 40 percent.

Some 56 percent of the respondents said the country’s state of poverty was the same as before, with 12 percent saying it improved and 29 percent saying it worsened.

According to OCTA, the decrease in self-rated poverty was due to a significant drop among respondents in Balance Luzon.

Self-rated poverty was highest among respondents in the Visayas at 59 percent (from 57 percent) and Mindanao at 58 percent (from 59 percent), followed by those in Metro Manila at 41 percent (from 40 percent) and rest of Luzon at 37 percent (from 46 percent).

Meanwhile, those who said their families are “not poor” was highest among respondents in Balance Luzon at 20 percent (from 13 percent), followed by those in Metro Manila at 17 percent (from 13 percent), Mindanao at six percent (from seven percent) and the Visayas at four percent (from one percent).

The same survey also found that 10 percent of the respondents, or an estimated 2.6 million families, experienced involuntary hunger or not having anything to eat at least once in the past three months.

It was down five points from the 15 percent or an estimated 3.9 million families that experienced hunger in the second quarter of the year.

Seventy-four percent of those who experienced involuntary hunger in the third quarter said they experienced it only once, while 17 percent said it happened a few times. Seven percent said it happened often, while two percent said always.

Across areas, respondents who said their families experienced hunger were highest among those in the Visayas at 13 percent (from 18 percent), followed by those in Balance Luzon at 11 percent (from 14 percent), Mindanao at nine percent (from 17 percent) and Metro Manila at three percent (from 14 percent).

Some 59 percent of the respondents said the state of hunger in the country stayed the same as before, 11 percent said it improved, while 26 percent said it worsened.