For a family of five in Cebu, the monthly income needed to meet basic needs was pegged at least P14,835, says the Philippine Statistics Authority-Cebu Province.  

PSA-Cebu presented the data on 17 December during the press conference on the 2023 Full-Year Official Poverty Statistics for Cebu Province, including the three Highly Urbanized Cities (HUCs) of Mandaue, Cebu, and Lapu-Lapu.  

The P14,835 monthly income will help a family avoid being classified as poor.  

This poverty threshold represents the minimum income required to cover essential food and non-food needs such as shelter, education, and healthcare. According to PSA, families earning below this threshold are considered poor.  

PSA Central Visayas Chief Statistical Specialist Leopoldo Alfanta admitted, however, that the poverty threshold is calculated using an outdated methodology based on 2003 food pricing data.  

“The poverty methodology should have been updated to cover up to 2021, but the technical committee of the PSA has not developed a new methodology. That is why we are still using the methodology since 2021,” Alfanta disclosed.  

He added that a new methodology is expected to be in place by 2025 to better reflect current economic realities and the actual cost of living.  

Cebu’s poverty threshold has consistently increased over the last five years due to inflation and rising living costs. In 2018, a family of five needed P10,798 per month. This figure rose to P14,024 in 2021 and P14,835 in 2023.