“We must emphasize the urgent need to bridge the gap between aspiration and reality through a recalibration of the government’s anti-poverty strategy”
FIVE out of 10 Filipino families rate themselves as poor, according to the latest Social Weather Survey conducted from Sept. 24 to 30.
That’s 50 percent of respondents, or an estimated 14.2 million Filipino families, who rated themselves as “mahirap” or “poor,” while 38 percent rated themselves as “hindi mahirap” or “not poor.”
Meanwhile, 12 percent rated themselves as “borderline” (on the line dividing “poor” and “not poor”).
The SWS survey showing that half of all Filipino families consider themselves poor reflects the widening gap between the administration’s poverty reduction targets and the actual economic situation of millions of citizens.
It tells us very clearly that the goal of reducing poverty to 9 percent by 2028 is not only ambitious but perhaps even elusive and unattainable.
The Social Weather Stations’ Sept. 2025 survey reveals that 14.2 million Filipino families or half of the total population identify themselves poor, up from 49 percent in June.
This figure starkly contrasts with the official poverty incidence of 16.4 percent reported by the Philippine Statistics Authority in 2023, based on income thresholds.
Self-rated poverty, by contrast, reflects perceived economic hardship, encompassing not just income but also access to basic needs, job stability, and resilience to shocks.
Hence, while the official rate declining to less than 16.4 percent is positive, the fact that nearly half of families feel poor indicates that many more feel insecure than the statistics, which complicates efforts to reduce poverty to 9 percent in a meaningful way.
This disconnect between perception and official metrics is critical.
Self-rated poverty is a barometer of public sentiment and social trust. It captures the erosion of economic confidence, especially when inflation, underemployment, and regional disparities persist.
In Mindanao, for instance, 69 percent of families rated themselves poor, compared to 43 percent in Metro Manila.
Such regional imbalances suggest that national averages hide localized suffering and that poverty alleviation must be tailored to geographic and sectoral realities.
The Marcos Jr. administration’s goal to reduce poverty to single- digit level of 9 percent by 2028 was framed as part of its Philippine Development Plan, anchored on infrastructure expansion, digitalization, and social protection.
Yet, the recent increase in self-rated poverty suggests that economic growth has not translated into inclusive prosperity. Rising prices, stagnant wages, and precarious employment have eroded purchasing power.
Analysts estimate that to hit single-digit poverty, the country may need consistent GDP growth around 8 percent annually alongside targeted programs for vulnerable groups.
Moreover, the survey found that 36 percent of poor families have never experienced being non-poor, while 1.6 million are “newly poor.”
This reflects both chronic poverty and vulnerability, with families slipping into hardship due to economic shocks, climate events, or health crises.
This compels the administration to go beyond macroeconomic targets and address structural inequities: landlessness, informal labor, and weak safety nets.
We must emphasize the urgent need to bridge the gap between aspiration and reality through a recalibration of the government’s anti-poverty strategy.
This includes strengthening local governance, expanding conditional cash transfers under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) aimed at reducing poverty by improving health, nutrition, and education among poor households; investing in rural livelihoods; and ensuring that infrastructure projects generate decent jobs. It also requires transparent monitoring and citizen participation to hold institutions accountable.
The latest SWS survey is not just a statistical update but should also be considered a wake-up call.
It should remind policymakers that poverty is not merely an economic condition but a lived experience by half of all Filipino families.
If the Marcos Jr. administration is serious about attaining its 9 percent anti-poverty target, it must confront the fact that half of Filipino families feel poor, and that perception is rooted in systemic failures that cannot be solved by economic growth alone.
The fact that half of all families still feel poor even as the official poverty rate declines poses a risk to public confidence and social concord.
If people don’t feel the improvements in their daily lives, political support for systemic reforms can wane.
For the administration’s goal to resonate, not only must the poverty numbers decline, but real lived improvements, including job stability, income growth, cost-of-living relief, and access to services, must be broadly visible and felt by the poor and disadvantaged sectors in Philippine society.
(Email: ernhil@yahoo.com)
