NEDA to release new poverty threshold by May 2025, Poe says

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) will release a new poverty threshold by May 2025, according to Senator Grace Poe.

“In May 2025, a new data will come out but for now, we are still using those metrics,” Poe said during the interpellation for the 2025 proposed budget NEDA.

During a Senate hearing for the 2025 budget, NEDA Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said a monthly food threshold for a family of five is 9,581 pesos, or about P64 per person.

Baliscan said the amount would cover three daily meals per person.

This amount has increased since 2021 where the 'food poor' threshold was P55 per person and it is expected to increase to P67 in 2025, according to Balisacan.

The Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (PAMALAKAYA) slammed the “food poor” threshold as unrealistic since it justifies low wages and allows the government to evade its responsibility to provide cash incentives to the poor.

“Isang kilong bigas at isang itlog lamang ang mabibili ng P64. Paano ‘yan pagkakasyahin ng indibidwal sa isang maghapon?” said Pamalakaya vice chairperson Ronnel Arambulo. 

(You can only buy a kilo of rice and an egg for P64. How can an individual make do with that for a day?)

Meanwhile, development organization IBON Foundation has called for a more realistic food poverty threshold.

IBON executive director Sonny Africa emphasized the importance of accurate poverty thresholds in combating poverty in the country, stating that ambitious targets for poverty reduction come from realistic data on poverty.

Senator Poe said an inter-agency group will recommend the new poverty threshold.

“A food nutritionist will come up with a nutritious meal plan based on what's available. That meal plan will be submitted to the PSA (Philippine Statistics Authority), and then the PSA will get a price collection for the ingredients that are being used, electricity cost and other charges for them to be able to determine a poverty threshold,” Poe said. — BAP, GMA Integrated News