Half of Filipino families still consider themselves poor, says SWS survey

A Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey conducted from April 23 to 28 found that 50 percent of Filipino families, or an estimated 14.1 million households, rated themselves as poor.

- By ELLALYN DE VERA-RUIZ

This is a five-point decrease from the 55 percent, or about 15.5 million families, reported in an SWS survey conducted from April 11 to 15.

The survey also found that 42 percent of families, a record high, rated themselves as not poor, while eight percent considered themselves borderline, placing themselves on the dividing line between poor and not poor, SWS reported.

It noted that the eight percent borderline rating is the lowest recorded since the category was introduced in 1985.

SWS attributed the decline in self-rated poverty nationwide to the large decreases in Metro Manila and Mindanao.

In Metro Manila, the percentage of families who considered themselves poor dropped by 12 points, from 45 percent to 33 percent.