Metro Manila, Philippines – Fewer Filipino families considered themselves poor in the first quarter of 2026, but hunger inched upward during the same period, according to a survey by OCTA Research.
The results showed that self-rated poverty declined modestly from 37% in December 2025 (around 9.8 million families) to 35% (around 9.2 million families) in March 2026, indicating that fewer families considered themselves poor before the Middle East conflict began.
Meanwhile, food poverty ratings slightly increased from 30% to 31% (around 8.1 million families).
However, OCTA Research said these changes are not statistically significant, characterizing the findings as broadly stable.
Self-rated hunger also rose from 16% to 17% (around 4.5 million households), which the firm described as generally unchanged. Most affected families — 82% — reported experiencing hunger only once or a few times in the previous three months, suggesting that hunger remained more episodic than chronic for most households.
“Regional disparities remain a defining feature of household welfare in the country,” OCTA Research said, highlighting geographic imbalances as most families reporting the highest self-rated poverty and food poverty rates were in Mindanao, underscoring the need for more targeted policy interventions.
“Households appeared marginally less likely to describe themselves as poor, but not materially more food-secure. This suggests that while economic sentiment may have improved modestly, household resilience remains weak and highly exposed to price shocks, particularly in food and transport,” it added.
