Family of 5 can survive with P10k+ a month, economic officials say

FILE: Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia (Photo: National Economic and Development Authority/Facebook)

Philippine Statistics Authority Assistant Secretary Rosalinda Bautista said on Wednesday that a family of five can fit P10,727 for their monthly budget which includes their basic needs such as food and non-food items.

ASec. Bautista said that for the minimum amount of P10k+ that a family could get, an amount of P7,528 should be allocated for food.

Officials presented a sample of the food budget that the said amount could buy, which includes scrambled eggs, steamed rice, and coffee and/or milk for breakfast; boiled monggo with malunggay and dried dilis, steamed rice, and a banana for lunch; and fish or boiled pork, a vegetable dish and boiled rice or corn for dinner. Bread and boiled root crops can also be considered for snacks.

“That is known as basic needs so no frills. No fancy items there…I’m sure many families are subsisting with that kind of budget,” Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia said.

Bautista claims that the meal plan can satisfy 100% of the recommended energy and 80% of the nutrient intake that a person needs and were also based on the available items that different provinces in the country have.

The remaining P3,199 of the proposed monthly budget should be spent on non-food items such as clothing, house maintenance or rent, water and electricity, daily transportation, fuel, education, medical needs, and more.

Bautista said that the P10k+ monthly budget does not include recreation and vices.

The budget was floated when Pernia said that 5.9 million Filipinos were no longer considered as impoverished in 2018 and that the families that earn less than the minimum monthly income of P10,727 are those who can be deemed as poor.

According to the National Wages and Productivity Commission under the Department of Labor and Employment, the minimum wage in the National Capital Region is P500 – P537 per day.