Nationwide OCTA, SWS surveys show drops in poverty and hunger incidences

By Trisha Matabalan, Philippine Canadian Inquirer
January 26, 2026

(Screengrab from RTVMalacanang/YouTube)

MANILA, Philippines — Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Usec. and Palace Press Officer Atty. Claire Castro held a press briefing with the Malacañang Press Corps (MPC).

According to the latest nationwide OCTA Research and SWS (Social Weather Stations) surveys show a drop in poverty and hunger incidence. They also show a decrease in poverty and food poverty self-ratings.

In this briefing, Claire Castro states that DSWD’s programs—including the Walang Gutom Program—have shown significant progress in their goals of ending involuntary hunger and breaking intergenerational poverty. Last year, Walang Gutom and DSWD stated that they served over 200K meals in 2025.

According to the Palace, the country’s poverty incidence has dropped by 37%, which shows a marked improvement from the 54% of the previous year. The hunger incidence decreased by 20.1% around the country due to the effectiveness of DSWD’s programs. These results show a better rating than last year’s surveys.

DSWD states the lowering of Filipinos experiencing poverty is a huge success for the country and means that the citizens are finally experiencing the good effects of the social protection programs in the Philippines. Asst. Secretary Dumlao attributes this success to the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) and the Walang Gutom Program.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. orders that DSWD strengthen the Walang Gutom program in order to widen its coverage in order to serve the three hundred thousand beneficiaries in 2026.