Self-rated poverty up after cyclones - IBON survey

The number of Filipinos who think they are poor increased in early October after the country experienced the wrath of cyclones “Ondoy" and “Pepeng," a survey conducted by independent think tank IBON Foundation showed.

The nationwide survey, conducted among 1,496 Filipinos from October 2 to 8, showed that seven out of 10 respondents, or 71.4 percent, considered themselves poor. This is higher by four percentage points from the 67.1 percent recorded last July.

The number of people who think they are poor increased the most in Metro Manila, where 62.4 percent of the respondents said they considered themselves as such.

This figure is almost 13 percentage points higher than the self-rated poverty in Metro Manila last July, which was at 49.5 percent.

Metro Manila was one of the most affected areas in Luzon when Ondoy brought record rainfall to the country on September 26. Ondoy left 464 dead and cost damage worth P11.2 billion.

Pepeng, meanwhile, unleashed its wrath over northern Luzon in early October, leaving 465 dead and a total of P19.6 billion worth of damage.

The IBON survey also showed that 57 percent of the respondents think their family’s income is not enough to meet their needs, an increase of four percentage points from 53 percent last July.

The IBON survey, conducted to find out Filipinos’ perception of the economy, their livelihood and income, has a margin of error of plus or minus three percent. - GMANews.TV