ABOUT 10.3 million Filipino families considered themselves poor in July, up by about 1.1 million from March, while self-rated hunger also increased, according to an OCTA Research survey.
“The national increase in self-rated poverty, combined with higher levels in Balance Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao suggests that economic pressures are being felt unevenly across the country,” OCTA Research said in a statement on Thursday.
Self-rated poverty rose to 39% in July from 35% in March. The survey, conducted through face-to-face interviews from July 4 to 11, found that 62% of Class E households considered themselves poor, compared with 37% of Class D households and 20% of Class ABC households.
Northern Mindanao posted the highest self-rated poverty rate at 63%, followed by Central Visayas at 62%, the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) at 61%, Davao Region at 59%, and both Zamboanga Peninsula and Soccsksargen at 56%.
The Cordillera Administrative Region recorded the lowest rate at 12%, followed by the National Capital Region (NCR) at 18%.
Higher poverty perceptions outside Metro Manila drove the increase, particularly for the rest of Luzon, where the rate rose by seven percentage points. Poverty in Ilocos Region increased to 47% in July from 20% in March, while Calabarzon climbed to 34% from 20%. Negros Island Region posted a decline to 27% from 53%.
The survey also showed self-rated hunger rose to 21% in July from 17% in March, equivalent to about 5.6 million families.
The rest of Luzon posted the highest hunger rate at 27%, followed by NCR at 19%, the Visayas at 17% and Mindanao at 14%.
Bicol posted the sharpest increase, with hunger rising to 56% from 5% in March. Hunger also reached 37% in Northern Mindanao and 34% in Calabarzon. By contrast, hunger in Eastern Visayas fell to 28% from 76%, while BARMM declined to 6% from 28%.
Among families reporting hunger, 87% said they experienced it occasionally, while 13% said it occurred frequently. Class E households posted the highest hunger incidence at 35%, compared with 20% for Class D households and 8% for Class ABC households.
Self-rated food poverty bucked the trend, falling to 28% in July from 31% in March, equivalent to about 7.4 million families.
Mindanao recorded the highest food-poverty rate at 52%, followed by the Visayas at 37%, the rest of Luzon at 18% and NCR at 9%. By income class, food poverty affected 38% of Class E households, 28% of Class D households and 14% of Class ABC households.
Despite the decline, the median monthly food expense needed to avoid food poverty remained at P10,000. The reported monthly shortfall among food-poor families widened to P5,000 from P4,000.
OCTA said lower food-poverty perceptions did not necessarily mean fewer families experienced hunger.
“Policies that support stable household income, affordable food and rapid assistance during temporary financial shocks remain important, particularly for lower-income families,” it said.
At a briefing on Thursday, Palace Press Officer Clarissa A. Castro said the government would review the areas reporting higher poverty and hunger rates.
She cited government data showing improved conditions among beneficiaries of the administration’s anti-hunger program, which provides P3,000 in monthly food credits.
A Social Weather Stations survey conducted from June to July showed hunger among beneficiaries fell by 6.7 percentage points to 26.9%. Hunger among nonbeneficiaries declined by 1.4 percentage points to 36.9%.
Ms. Castro said general-population surveys and program-specific assessments measured different groups, which could explain the gap between the findings.
The OCTA survey had a 95% confidence level and a margin of error of ±3 percentage points for national estimates and ±6 percentage points for subnational estimates. — Erika Mae P. Sinaking