Despite the government's efforts to improve the lives of Filipinos in the countryside, in the first 6 months of 2012 there were 15 provinces & 1 city that have over 40% of their population living below the poverty threshold.
The 1st Semester 2012 Poverty Statistics from the National Statistical Coordination Board (NCSB), showed that most of the poorest provinces are located in Mindanao while the least poor were located mainly in Luzon.
Below is a map showing the poverty incidence -- a percentage of the region's population -- nationwide.
Source: Rappler
"The regions with the lowest poverty incidence in the first semester of 2006, 2009, and 2012 continue to be the National Capital Region, Calabarzon, and Central Luzon. As of the first semester 2012, ARMM (Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao) consistently figured in the bottom poorest cluster of the regions with a poverty incidence among families between 42% and 47% in the first semesters of 2006, 2009, and 2012," - NSCB Secretary General Jose Ramon Albert.
Who is poor?
The government considers a Filipino family poor if monthly earnings are less than the poverty threshold. In the 1st semester of 2012, poverty threshold for a family of 5 was at P5,458 per month to meet basic food needs.
The same family required only P1,681 in 2006 and P2,042 in 2009 to leave the ranks of the poor.
If non-food needs -- such as clothing, housing, transportation, health, and education expenses, and others -- are added to the threshold, cut off in 2012 went up to P7,821 earnings a month.
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