TACLOBAN CITY — Northern Samar recorded a sharp decline in poverty, with thousands of families moving closer to greater economic security.

The Philippine Statistics Authority, in its 2025 Full-Year Official Poverty Statistics released 26 August 2026, reported a poverty incidence of 12.5% in Northern Samar in 2025, the province’s lowest rate on record.

The 12.5% poverty incidence was the fourth lowest among the six provinces in Eastern Visayas. Southern Leyte posted the lowest at 3.4%, followed by Biliran at 7.8%, Leyte at 12.4%, Samar at 15.7% and Eastern Samar at 20%.

Northern Samar’s latest poverty incidence represents a sharp decline from 21.8% in 2023 and 19.3% in 2021.

According to the provincial government, the figure translates to a decrease in the estimated number of poor families from 31,530 in 2023 to 19,760 in 2025 — a reduction of approximately 11,770 poor families.

Former Northern Samar governor and now Second District Rep. Edwin Ongchuan credited the gains to constituents and development partners who worked closely to pursue the province’s economic goals.

“Almost 12,000 families in Northern Samar have crossed the threshold out of poverty — this milestone belongs to our farmers, fisherfolk, local officials, national line agencies, our development partners, and every Norte-Samarnon who kept working even when progress felt slow,” Ongchuan said in a statement.

The congressman also lauded his successor, Gov. Harris Ongchuan, for sustaining programs that he initiated during his administration.