Almost 50% Filipinos consider themselves 'poor', survey reveals

Forty-eight per cent of Filipino families have rated themselves as "poor" in the latest survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations (SWS).

This figure translates to 13.2 million families who think they are living in poverty as of September, according to local media reports citing the SWS findings.

The number marks a jump of 3 percentage points from the 45-per-cent self-poverty rate recorded in June this year, the report added.

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"'Borderline' families fell by 6 points from 33 per cent, and 'Not Poor' families rose by 3 points from 22 per cent," the SWS said.

The survey also revealed that nearly two million Filipino families felt that they were 'newly poor' — which meant they didn't see themselves in poverty at least five years ago.

From the 13.2 families who rated themselves 'poor' in September, 1.8 million were 'newly poor'; 1.7 million were 'usually poor'; and 9.7 million were 'always poor', the SWS said.

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