Rice prices are displayed at a market stall Quezon City, Metro Manila, the Philippines, on Saturday, April 6, 2024. (Photo by Veejay Villafranca/Bloomberg)
Manila: Food poverty in the Philippines fell sharply in the fourth quarter of 2025, signaling easing pressure on households as food access improved and prices stabilized amid government interventions, according to the latest survey from local polling and consultation firm OCTA Research.
The nationwide poll, released on Tuesday, showed that self-rated food poverty dropped by 19 percentage points to 30 percent in the fourth quarter from 49 percent in the previous quarter.
OCTA said this translates to about 5 million families no longer considering themselves food-poor, one of the fastest improvements recorded in the survey series.
Self-rated overall poverty also declined significantly, falling 17 percentage points quarter on quarter to 37 percent, or an estimated 4.5 million families no longer identifying as poor, the largest single-quarter drop in the series, the survey showed.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel said the findings reflect sustained efforts to secure the food supply while supporting both consumers and producers.
"These results show that our programs are reaching Filipino families," he said, adding that the government would continue to ensure affordable food with stable prices while boosting the incomes of farmers and fisherfolk.
The OCTA survey involved 1,200 respondents and was conducted nationwide from Dec. 3 to 11, 2025.
