The poverty incidence among families in Western Visayas dropped to 9.8 percent in 2023 from 12.1 percent in 2021, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on Friday.
“This means that 10 in every 100 families are considered poor or have income below the amount needed to afford the basic minimum food and non-food needs,” according to PSA Officer-in-Charge Regional Director Nelida Amolar during the regional dissemination of the 2023 Full Year Poverty Statistics of Western Visayas.
The data showed the region’s poverty incidence among families was lower than the national estimate of 10.9 percent.
The region also ranked seventh among the lowest incidence across the country.
The 9.8 percent is equivalent to about 119,000 families with income less than the poverty threshold or the minimum income needed to buy basic food and non-food needs from 140,000 in 2021.
Amolar added that three provinces recorded a decreasing poverty incidence, including Aklan at 3.1 percent, Antique at 13.8 percent, and Guimaras at 3.8 percent from their estimation in 2021 at 13.9 percent, 18.2 percent, and 7.3 percent, respectively.
The incidence in Iloilo City also dropped to 2.3 from 3.3 percent. Iloilo province had 12.7 from 14.5 percent.
The province of Capiz, however, showed an increase in poverty estimation from 6.1 percent to 9.8 percent, together with Negros Occidental, that went up to 25.7 percent from 19.3 percent; and Bacolod City with 6.2 percent from 3.4 percent.
Further, poverty incidence among the population in the region was at 13.7 percent, which means 664,000 individuals had income below the poverty threshold, a decline from 820,000 in 2021.
“The average threshold for a family of five is calculated at PHP13,801 per month. This is the minimum amount needed to cover the primary food and non-food needs of a family. Those with income below the threshold are considered to be living in poverty,” Amolar said.
In Aklan, the poverty threshold per family was PHP12,558, which was the lowest; Antique, PHP13,710; Capiz, PHP13,850; Guimaras, PHP12,853; Iloilo, PHP13,933; and Negros Occidental, the highest at PHP14,892.
National Economic and Development Authority Regional Director Arecio Casing Jr. said during the open forum that the tourism sector, particularly Boracay Island, played a significant role in the drop in the poverty incidence in Aklan when there was a boost in the arrivals after the pandemic.
“This can be replicated by other provinces in the tourism or services sector. Those are the things they need to take a look at, the endowments of our provinces which we can market better and really link with the tour in Aklan. Let's entice to visit other provinces in the region,” Casing said. (PNA)
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