Guimaras’ poverty incidence cut by more than half in sem1 2023

The poverty incidence among the population or the proportion of poor Filipinos whose per capita income is not sufficient to meet their basic food and non-food needs in the first semester of 2023 reduced by more than half, from 25.7 percent in 2021 to 13.1 percent in the first semester of 2023 translating to 23,040 Guimarasnons were lifted out of poverty during the period, based on the preliminary results of the First Visit of the 2023 Family Income and Expenditure Survey conducted by the Philippine Statistics Authority.

Figure 1. Poverty and Subsistence Incidence Among Population, Guimaras: First Semester 2021 and 2023

On average, a family of five still needs at least PhP12,404 a month to meet their minimum basic food and non-food needs in 2023 sem1

Poverty results revealed that the subsistence incidence among Filipinos, or the proportion of Filipinos whose income is not enough to buy even the basic food needs, was estimated at 2.2 percent or about 4,110 Filipinos in the first semester of 2023, lower than the 8.8 percent registered in the same period in 2021 or about 16,430 individuals

On average, a family of five still needs a monthly income of PhP8,713.00 to meet their minimum basic food needs in the first semester of 2023.

Among families in the First Semester of 2023, poverty incidence dropped to 8.5 percent, which was equivalent to 4,150 families, translating to a more than 50.0 percent reduction from the 19.0 percent or 8,890 families, in the first semester of 2021

Table 1. Poverty Indicators of Guimaras Province: First Semester 2021 and 2023

The subsistence incidence among families in Guimaras province recorded at 1.3 percent or about 630 food-poor families in the first semester of 2023, is lower than the 6.3 percent or 2,970 food-poor families in the same period of 2021.

The income gap measures the average amount required for an individual to get out of poverty expressed to the poverty thresholds.

The income gap in Guimaras is estimated at 16.4 percent in the first semester of 2023, which means that an additional monthly income of PhP2,441 is still needed for families whose income falls below the poverty line for them to move out of poverty in the first semester of 2023.

This can serve as a useful reference, especially in determining the necessary livelihood project the Local Chief Executives need to implement as a source of income for poor families to lift them out of poverty.

The poverty gap of Guimaras recorded at 1.4 percent in the first semester of 2023, is 2.9 percent lower than the poverty gap estimated at 4.3 percent in the same period in 2021.

The poverty gap refers to the income shortfall (expressed in proportion to the poverty threshold) of families with income below the poverty threshold, divided by the total number of families.

Likewise, the severity of poverty in Guimaras was estimated at 0.4 percent in the first semester of 2023, a notable drop from 1.5 percent in the same period in 2021

The severity of poverty is the total of the squared income shortfall (expressed in proportion to the poverty threshold) of families with income below the poverty threshold, divided by the total number of families.

Table 2. Provinces in the least poor cluster in the First Semester of 2023, Poverty Incidence among Families

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.

Poverty incidence among families is the proportion of families whose income is below the poverty line to the total number of families. Poverty incidence among the population is the proportion of the population whose income is below the poverty line to the total population.

The Province of Guimaras landed the 9th rank in the first semester of 2023 among the 20 least poor provinces of the country, classified at cluster 5 (least poor cluster). Two provinces of the Western Visayas Region, Aklan, and Guimaras, belong to the least poor cluster.

Table 3. First Semester Per Capita Food and Poverty Threshold, Province of Guimaras Urban/Rural Classification: 2018, 2021, and 2023p

Moreover, a family with five members in Urban areas in Guimaras will need at least PhP9,042.5 per month to meet their minimum basic food needs in the first semester of 2023. This was higher than the food threshold in the first semester of 2021, which was estimated at PhP8,550. On the other hand, a family of five in rural areas will need at least PhP8,543 per month to meet the basic food needs in the first half of 2023. This was also higher than the food threshold in the first semester of 2021 at PhP8,057.50.

Likewise, to meet the minimum basic food and non-food needs in the first semester of 2021, a family with five members in urban areas will need at least PhP12,949 per month, while PhP12,234 a month in families of five living in rural areas. The figures were also higher than the estimated poverty threshold in the first semester of 2021 at PhP12,243, and PhP11,538 per month, respectively.