Residents build homes in a tunnel under a busy roadway in Manila

Families living beneath a busy highway in Manila continue their daily lives on Wednesday, 26 April 2026. A recent survey by OCTA Research, conducted between March 19 and 25, reports that 35 percent, or roughly 9.2 million Filipino families, identify themselves as "poor," a figure that is 2 percent lower compared to the previous survey in 2025 December.