The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) will review the P64-a-day per person threshold which has drawn flak from the public.
Pangasinan Rep. Christopher de Venecia, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) budget sponsor, also said that the P64 “food poor” threshold does not include indirect costs such as the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) used for cooking and transportation to buy ingredients.
De Venecia, speaking during the interpellation for the 2025 proposed budget of DTI, added that the budget is also for food prepared at home and not for buying food at restaurants, fast food, and eateries.
Earlier, NEDA Arsenio Balicasan, during a Senate hearing for the 2025 budget, said a monthly food threshold for a family of five is P9,581, equivalent to P64 per person.
“What is important is that NEDA already committed to revisit the methodology they used,” De Venecia, quoted by GMA News, said.
He added that the DTI has projects to help the public acquire basic needs like the Diskento Caravan, which helps consumers purchase basic goods at a discount, and food terminals, where farmers can sell their goods directly to institutional retailers.
The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) earlier admitted that the P64 “food poor” threshold was insufficient to meet nutritional or dietary requirements in a day.
The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) on Tuesday revealed that to be considered not “food poor” the amount spent on food per person, in a typical family of five, should not fall below P64.
The NEDA said this amount was arrived when you divide the monthly food threshold of P9,581 for a family as of 2023 to the approximate number of days per month or 30 days.
The development organization IBON Foundation earlier called for a more realistic threshold.
