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By Rommel C. Lontayao, Reporter
One of two Filipino families considers itself as
poor, the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) 2008 first quarter
survey found out.
The self-rated poverty figure of 50 percent in
the latest poll conducted over March 28 to 31 is slightly higher
than the 46-percent outcome in the previous SWS survey conducted in
the last quarter of 2007.
“Self-Rated Poverty has been at the relatively
low range of 47 to 53 percent since September 2006, compared to 55
to 59 percent during December 2005 to June 2006,” the SWS noted.
Self-Rated Poverty went up in all areas: by 6
points in Mindanao, by 5 points in the Visayas and in Metro Manila,
and by 2 points in Balance Luzon.
The government, meanwhile, attained a +7 net
satisfaction rating on the issue of helping the poor.
“The March 2008 survey found 45 percent
satisfied and 38 percent dissatisfied with the National
Administration on helping the poor, or a neutral net satisfaction
rating of +7,” the SWS report said.
It further said that “the net satisfaction
with the National Administration on the issue of helping the poor
has been neutral since the previous quarter at +4, but used to be at
a double-digit positive range of +18 to +25 during November 2006 to
September 2007.”
Survey results also concluded that “Self-Rated
Poverty Threshold, or the monthly budget that poor households need
in order not to consider themselves poor in general, has been
sluggish for several years, despite considerable inflation.”
“This indicates that poor families have been
lowering their living standards,” or have been practicing
“belt-tightening.”
The median poverty threshold for poor households
in the Visayas went up from P5,000 in December to P8,000 in March.
It also went up from P5,000 to P6,000 in Balance Luzon.
In Metro Manila, it stayed at P10,000, even
though it had already reached as much as P15,000 several times in
the past. In Mindanao, the median poverty threshold went down from
P8,000 to P6,000.
The latest SWS survey was conducted using
face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults divided into random samples
of 300 each in Metro Manila, the Balance of Luzon, Visayas, and
Mindanao. Margin of error was pegged at +/- 3 percent for national
percentages, and at +/- 6 percent for area percentages.
The SWS said its survey on the families’
self-rated poverty and public satisfaction with the National
Administration on helping the poor is “non-commissioned” and
pursued by the poll body as part of its “own initiative.”
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