By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
Amid the ongoing energy emergency, the government has launched various initiatives aimed at helping Filipinos navigate these challenging circumstances.
These efforts were reflected in the incremental movements in self-rated poverty and food poverty, respectively, as shown in the latest Tugon ng Masa survey by OCTA Research.
Figures show that around 35% of Filipino families or around 9.2 million households considered themselves as poor in the first quarter of 2026—2% lower than the 37% recorded in the fourth quarter of 2025.
On the other hand, 41% cannot say with certainty whether they are poor or not, while 24% said that they are not poor.
Meanwhile, statistics show that around 17% of Filipino families or the equivalent of 4.5 million households reported experiencing involuntary hunger during the same period—slightly higher than the 16% recorded in the fourth quarter of 2025.
26% of those who said that they are experiencing hunger came from the Visayas region. Among economic classes, 29% of Class E families considered themselves food-poor, compared to 17% in Class D and 4% in Class ABC.
These results fall within the ±3% margin of error. The survey was conducted from March 19 to 25, 2026, with 1,200 male and female respondents aged 18 and above participating in face-to-face interviews.
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