IBON: 7 of 10 Pinoys cannot afford food, bills, basic needs

MANILA, Philippines - Seven out of 10 Filipinos cannot afford enough food and have trouble paying their bills and basic needs, according to a survey by militant think tank IBON Foundation. IBON said its survey conducted last April showed that of 1,495 respondents, 1,126 (75.3 percent) said their family had problems buying enough food, a substantial increase from 950 (63.2 percent) last January. On the other hand, 1,042 (69.7 percent) had trouble paying for electricity and water bills, compared to 1,006 (66.93 percent) on the first month of this year. The survey also showed that 1,008 (67.42 percent) have difficulty paying for transportation costs compared to 911 (60.61 percent) in January; 1,097 (73.38 percent) had a problem buying their medicines or paying for their medical treatment compared to 1,024 (68.13 percent) in January; and 1,020 (68.23 percent) had trouble paying for their children's tuition compared to 997 (66.33 percent) in January. Respondents were asked the question, "In the past three months, has your family had a problem meeting the following expenses?" IBON said its survey was conducted from April 7 to 16 "across various sectors and regions nationwide," with a margin of error of three percent. - GMANews.TV