Metro Manila, Philippines – More Filipinos rated themselves as poor in the third quarter, a non-commissioned survey by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) showed.

Based on the poll held on Sept. 14 to 23, the one-point rise in the percentage of poor was equivalent to 16.3 million Filipinos from 16 million in June.The figure equated to 59% – the highest since June 2008, the SWS said. The survey showed self-rated poverty was highest in Mindanao at 67%, followed by the Visayas 62%, and Balance Luzon 55%.

Metro Manila self-rated poverty jumped 13 points from 39% to 52%.

About 1,500 respondents were asked to select a showcard that best described their situation: either “poor” or “not poor.

“The sampling error margins are ±2.5% for national percentages, ±4.0% for Balance Luzon, and ±5.7% each for Metro Manila, the Visayas, and Mindanao,” SWS said.