With a population of about 3.22 million, roughly 20.8 percent, or 667,900 residents in Mimaropa are considered poor and live below the poverty threshold of Ph26,231. This means that on average, per month, an individual living in the region needs Ph2,193 to meet both his/her basic food and non-food needs.
This figure is the preliminary result of the triennial Family Income and Expenditure Survey (FIES) by the Philippine Statistics Authority conducted in 2021 which was recently presented by PSA-MIMAROPA in the Regional Dissemination Forum in Calapan City.
The forum was attended by the Provincial/Municipal Planning and Development Officers, government statisticians, and officials of both provincial and regional national government agencies in Mimaropa region.
In her presentation, PSA-Mimaropa Regional Director Leni R. Rioflorido said that Mimaropa’s per capita poverty threshold among families is 15 percent which is in the top 10 of the poverty-stricken regions in the country. The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao recorded the highest poverty threshold for families at 29.8 percent while the National Capital Region recorded the lowest at 2.2 percent.
Rioflorido also presented the poverty incidence for families per province in the region. Palawan registered the lowest poverty incidence at 9.4 percent which is 3.8 percentage points lower than the national average; followed by Oriental Mindoro with 12.8 percent poverty incidence, a few notches lower than the 13.2 percent national poverty threshold. The poverty incidence among families of the other provinces are: Marinduque – 15.6 percent; Occidental Mindoro – 23 percent; and Romblon – 31 percent.
The Food Threshold is one of the poverty statistics generated by the 2021 FIES. It refers to the minimum income required for a family or individual to meet basic food needs, which satisfies the nutritional requirements for economically necessary and socially desirable activities. Those below the food threshold are referred to as food poor.
Rioflorido reported that among the population, there are 239,600 food-poor individuals in the region or 7.5 percent who are not able to meet the food threshold of Ph1,542 on average, per month. Among families, this translates to 39,000 food-poor families who are below the food threshold of Ph7,710 per month for a family of five members.
The Family Income and Expenditure Survey is a nationwide survey of households. It is the main source of data on family income and expenditure, which include among others, levels of consumption by item of expenditure as well as sources of income in cash and in kind. The results of FIES provide information on the levels of living and disparities in the income of Filipino families, as well as their spending patterns. (VSM/PIA MIMAROPA)
