GUIMARAS – This island province still ranks No. 16 among the 24 least poor provinces of the country, classified at cluster 5 (least poor), as shown in the result of the 2021 full year poverty estimates released just recently by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
On the other hand, the six provinces among the poorest (cluster 1) are Agusan del Sur, Basilan, Davao Occidental, Sarangani, Sulu, and Zamboanga del Norte.
In terms of poverty incidence among families, Guimaras recorded a rate of 7.3 percent, translating that around 3,440 families had income below the poverty threshold in the full year of 2021. The figure is a bit higher than the 6.8 percent in 2018.
Provincial Statistics Officer Nelida B. Losare explained that about 10 percent of Guimaras’ population, or roughly 18,740 individuals, had income below the poverty line for the same period.
Losare further elucidated that 0.8 percent of families in Guimaras were classified as food poor, meaning that roughly 380 families had incomes that did not meet the food threshold in 2021, the same level as in 2018.
“Around 1.2 percent of the population is food poor, translating to 2,270 individuals with incomes below the food threshold during 2021,” Losare said
“The figure is higher than the 1,690 food-poor population in 2018, or 580 individuals added to the 2018 level”, she added.
The food threshold is the minimum income required to meet basic food needs, satisfying the nutritional requirements set by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) to ensure that one remains economically and socially productive.
The Poverty threshold is the minimum income required to meet the basic food and non-food needs such as clothing, fuel, light and water, housing, rental of occupied dwelling units, transportation and communication, health and education expenses, non-durable furnishing, household operations, and personal care and effects, Losare said
Meanwhile, Poverty incidence among families is defined as the proportion of families whose income is below the poverty line to the total number of families, while poverty incidence among the population is the proportion of the population living below the poverty line to the total population, Losare clarified. (PSA/PN)
