By Jose Cielito Reganit | Philippine News Agency
The latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showing a decline in the number of Filipino families who consider themselves poor indicates that more households can provide for their families and cope with daily needs, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said on Monday.
The second quarter 2026 SWS survey, conducted from June 20 to 29 among 1,200 adults nationwide, showed that self-rated poverty (SRP) declined to 49% in June from 52% in March 2026.
DSWD Spokesperson Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao said in a statement Monday, “The latest SWS survey showed that the Marcos Administration’s sustained investments in social protection and anti-poverty programs have helped poor families and vulnerable sectors address their immediate needs while improving their capacities to become self-sufficient.”
Asec. Dumlao added, “The decline in self-rated poverty is encouraging and we will use it as a reference to continue strengthening our social protection programs focusing on human capital investments, sustainable livelihoods, food security, and community resilience.”
The DSWD programs contributing to the success of the government’s initiatives against poverty and hunger include the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), the Walang Gutom Program (WGP) and the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP).
The 4Ps provides conditional cash grants and supports investments for children’s health and education, while the WGP provides assistance to food-poor families through electronic benefit transfer cards. The SLP helps poor and vulnerable households develop livelihood opportunities and income-generating activities.
The DSWD Spokesperson added, “Under the leadership of Secretary Rex Gatchalian, the DSWD’s goal is not simply to help poor families survive today. We want to ensure that they receive all the necessary support, opportunities, and capabilities they need to build a better future for their children and become more resilient to whatever challenges may come.”
Financial relief
Amid tensions in the Middle East, the DSWD rolled out its P5,000 cash relief assistance in March to help transport sector members gravely affected by rising fuel costs.
The cash aid has helped cushion the impact of the global energy crisis on over 1.8 million public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers, Transport Network Vehicle Service (TNVS) drivers, motorcycle (MC) taxi drivers, and service delivery riders nationwide.
The DSWD official expounded, “The DSWD’s cash relief assistance is part of the efforts of the Marcos Jr. administration to help all vulnerable sectors under the Unified Package for Livelihood, Industry, Food, and Transport (UPLIFT).”
For the second phase of the cash relief assistance under the UPLIFT, the DSWD has started disbursing P2,000 cash aid to over 4.71 million poor, near-poor, and low-income Filipinos nationwide.
The beneficiaries were composed of three groups: Group 1 consists of 4Ps and WGP beneficiaries; Group 2 covers poor and near-poor Filipinos who are not beneficiaries of the 4Ps or WGP, as identified through the 2024 Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS) of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA); and Group 3 is comprised of 1.5 million low-income Social Security System (SSS) members. (PNA)
