• 3 months ago
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Transcript
00:0013,873 pesos, that's the so-called average poverty threshold of 2023,
00:08or what is needed for the five-member family to afford their food and other necessities.
00:15But even the PSA admitted that it's hard to fit such a budget.
00:20Witness, Mackie Polido.
00:21In the 2023 Official Poverty Statistics of the Philippine Statistics Authority,
00:31for it not to be considered as poor,
00:32a family needs to earn less than 13,873 pesos a month.
00:39This is the so-called average poverty threshold.
00:42The PSA said that this is enough to meet all the basic needs of a family with five members.
00:49The poverty threshold in each region will be different because the price of payments and expenses will be different.
00:56In Metro Manila, the poverty threshold is P15,713 pesos monthly income.
01:01According to the PSA, 69 percent or almost P11,000 is for food.
01:07The rest is almost P5,000 for other expenses,
01:11such as massages, student fees and electricity and water payments.
01:16Do you think it's enough, sir?
01:18Again, it is most likely insufficient.
01:28The minimum basic needs.
01:32The idea here is to see what progress we're making as a nation
01:38in terms of reducing the number of families and individuals from that threshold.
01:44Jason earns more than P15,000 a month as a construction worker.
01:49When he counts the expenses and their payments,
01:53it is more than his monthly income.
01:55In that case, they are saving the budget for food
01:58and there are things that they are walking around with so that they won't be massaged.
02:01There are fixed expenses, such as houses, water and electricity.
02:05We can't reduce it, so we need to find other ways to reduce it.
02:12In order to cover the expenses, they need to borrow money.
02:15We are already in debt.
02:17We are paying our debts every week.
02:22In this account, the amount of money is not included in the payment if there is an illness.
02:27That's why Monica is worried.
02:28She is also a minimum wage earner because she is about to give birth.
02:32Of course, the hospital bill, the child's needs,
02:36and for example, the need to buy medicine from outside.
02:40The poverty threshold in 2023 is higher than in 2021.
02:46Do you think your statistics reflect the real situation that Filipinos face?
02:52Wait, the numbers, because we say numbers don't lie.
02:56We reduced the poverty from 19.9 million to 17.52 million Filipinos.
03:05That's the number.
03:06There is a reduction.
03:07So what does that mean?
03:09It means that while our threshold increased due to food prices,
03:14our income also increased.
03:17So I agree the threshold might be low, but if we set it at that threshold,
03:22there is still a decrease in terms of poverty incidence.
03:26For GMA Integrated News, I am Mackie Pulido, your witness.
03:39And for Kapuso Abroad, join us on GMA Pinoy TV and www.gmanews.tv.

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