About 12.2 million Filipino families considered themselves poor, according to the second quarter survey by the Social Weather Stations (SWS).

In the report by DZRH's Liezel Once on Damdaming Bayan, the survey that was conducted from June 26-29, showed that out of the 1,500 adults interviewed, 48 percent of Filipinos felt “poor”.

The figure is higher compared to the Php 10.9 million who rated themselves as “poor” in April 2022, the first quarter of the year.

About 31 percent of Filipinos rated themselves as “borderline poor” while 21 percent feel that they are “not poor.”

Many of the self-rated poor are from the Visayas with 64 percent, followed by Mindanao with 62 percent, Metro Manila with 41 percent, and Balance Luzon with 36 percent.

In the self-rated food poverty, 34 percent of families rated themselves as food poor, 40 percent regarded themselves as borderline-food poor, and 26 percent placed themselves as not food-poor.

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) on Monday approved a Php 4.5 billion fund for vulnerable families who are hard-hit by the rising food prices.

A Php 500 financial aid or tranche of ayuda will be given to them monthly.

The program is called the Targeted Cash Transfer (TCT) which was created under the Duterte Administration.

About 4 million Filipino who are not part of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) will benefit from the said program.

Aside from this, a bill that seeks a higher pension for indigent senior citizens was enacted into law on July 30.

The monthly social pension increased from Php 500 to Php 1,000.

Cash payout options for distribution will also be available for the convenience of senior citizens.