Jan 25, 2012
Poverty in the Philippines: Poverty in the Basic Sectors
(Note: This piece is a segment from a larger article “Poverty in the Philippines: A Profile”, showcased in Focus-Philippines’ upcoming Poverty Policy Review)
Poverty Incidence among Basic Sectors
|
2000 |
2003 |
2006 |
||||
| Sector | Magnitude | Incidence | Magnitude | Incidence | Magnitude | Incidence |
| Women |
12,227,315 |
32.3 |
11, 602,634 |
29.0 |
12,806,177 |
30.1 |
| Youth |
5,476,061 |
24.5 |
5,293,223 |
23.5 |
5,925,823 |
25.4 |
| Children |
14,093,102 |
42.5 |
13,469,849 |
38.8 |
14,405,899 |
40.8 |
| Senior Citizens |
1,277,139 |
29.0 |
969,906 |
18.4 |
1,297,159 |
20.3 |
| Urban Poor |
6,784,016 |
17.3 |
6,360,978 |
15.9 |
6,852,965 |
16.1 |
| Migrant and Formal Sector Workers |
2,622,324 |
18.7 |
2,886,445 |
18.4 |
3,229,424 |
19.5 |
| Farmers |
2,431,995 |
46.6 |
2,027,689 |
42.4 |
2,095,646 |
44.0 |
| Fishers |
450,020 |
50.8 |
440,579 |
43.6 |
482,477 |
49.9 |
Source: National Statistical Coordination Board
Regions with Minimum and Maximum Poverty Incidence among the Basic Sectors, 2006
| Basic Sector |
Least Poor |
Most Poor |
||
| Region | Poverty Incidence (%) | Region | Poverty Incidence (%) | |
| Women | NCR | 9.7 | ARMM | 58.9 |
| Youth | NCR | 7.3 | ARMM | 53.2 |
| Children | NCR | 15.2 | ARMM | 66.3 |
| Senior Citizens | NCR | 4.4 | ARMM | 46.5 |
| Urban Poor | CAR | 7.4 | ARMM | 52.4 |
| Migrant and Formal Sector Workers | NCR | 4.8 | CARAGA | 36.8 |
| Farmers | Region II | 16.9 | ARMM | 62.3 |
| Fishermen | Region III | 23.9 | CARAGA | 66.7 |
Source: National Statistical Coordination Board
That pervasive poverty characterizes those in the basic sectors has already been suggested earlier. Among these sectors, three particular groups stand out for having their ranks riven by widespread destitution. Fishers are unfailingly the poorest group (49.9% in 2006) among these, followed by farmers (44.0% in 2006), children (40.8% in 2006) and poor women (30.1% in 2006).
These particular figures, however, fail to accurately mirror the contribution of each sector to the overall poor population. Here, it appears to be children (14,405,899 heads in 2006) who comprise the basic sector with the most number of poor persons, even though poor women nearly equal these sheer numbers (12,806,177 in 2006). Urban poor and the youth fall next in line to these basic sectors, although they each feature less than half of the corresponding population of poor children.
The regions where these basic sectors are most clearly poor are consistently in ARMM and CARAGA. Not surprisingly, the region which houses the lowest levels of basic sector poverty is generally NCR, though the regions least afflicted by urban poverty, farmer poverty, fisherfolk poverty are elsewhere.