Senator Hontiveros criticizes P64 'food poor' threshold

During her visit to Cebu yesterday, Senator Risa Hontiveros criticized the new food poverty threshold of P64 per person per day, calling it "insulting and saddening". She also called for more realistic data on how much Filipinos need each day to maintain a healthy diet.

"Maging mas realistic naman tayo sa kung ano talaga ang minimum na kailangan ng bawat Pilipino para kumain nang malusog, mabuhay nang makatao para din itaas naman naming lahat na nagtatrabaho sa gobyerno yung targets namin in terms of nutrition, food security, poverty alleviation," she said.

NEDA Secretary Arsenio Balisacan had stated during the Development Budget Coordination Committee briefing at the Senate last Tuesday, 13 August, that Filipinos were not food poor if they spent more than P64 on meals each day. This amount is an increase from the P55-threshhold established in 2021.

Balisacan also stated that for a family of five, the monthly food threshold was pegged at P9,581.

The food threshold refers to the minimum income required for a family or individual to meet basic food needs, which satisfy the nutritional requirements for economically necessary and socially desirable physical activities.

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) admitted that the food threshold of P64 was "insufficient." National Statistician and PSA chief Claire Dennis Mapa said the current methodology for setting the food poverty ceiling is under review.

The PSA's sample food bundle, composed of three meals, includes: 1. Egg, coffee with milk, and boiled rice or corn mix for breakfast; 2. Boiled monggo (mung beans) with malunggay (moringa) and dried dilis (anchovy), banana, and boiled rice or corn mix for lunch; 3. Fried fish or boiled pork, vegetable dish, and boiled rice or corn mix for dinner; 4. Pandesal for snacks.