MANILA — The proportion of Filipinos who consider themselves poor fell to 37 percent in the last quarter of 2025 from 54 percent in the third quarter, according to the latest survey by OCTA Research.

OCTA Research fellow Guido David said in a Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon interview on Tuesday that 1,200 respondents were asked whether they considered themselves poor during the survey conducted from December 3 to 11, 2025.

“I think people having money because of bonuses was a factor. But another factor, perhaps, was the administration’s continued efforts to distribute ‘ayuda’ (assistance),” he said.

David added that the decline was also aided by the stabilization of the inflation rate.

“Life is not as hard as it was before, because our economic indicators have stabilized,” he said in a mix of English and Filipino.

The survey result, David said, represents about 4.5 million Filipino families who no longer consider themselves poor.

Food poverty also dropped to 19 percent from 49 percent in the previous quarter.

“I think government programs have helped significantly in terms of access to food. There are food centers where people could go,” David said.

OCTA noted that this translates to roughly 5 million families who perceived themselves as better able to meet their food needs within one quarter. The survey has a ±3 percent margin of error at the 95 percent confidence level.