The Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) slammed anew the administration of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for the sharp rise in self-rated poverty, as revealed by the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey. KMP chairperson Danilo Ramos called the 63% poverty rate—the highest since 2003—a “damning indictment of Marcos Jr’s anti-poor governance.”

“The numbers don’t lie,” said Ramos. “Marcos Jr.’s administration has been a disaster for Filipino families, especially for farmers and rural communities. While the government boasts of economic growth, the reality is that millions are sliding deeper into poverty.”

Record-high food poverty a shameful legacy of Marcos

KMP said the latest food poverty at 51% is a shameful legacy of the current administration as it evidently failed to address hunger and poverty. “Food poverty at 51% means more than half of Filipino families cannot afford nutritious meals. This is the tragic result of a government that prioritizes neoliberal policies over the democratic interests of the people,” Ramos said. “While farmers produce the nation’s food, they remain the poorest sector. Marcos Jr. has done nothing to address landlessness, low farmgate prices, and exploitative conditions,” the peasant leader and Makabayan senatorial candidate asserted.

“The people are hungry and angry. We must demand accountability from the Department of Agriculture, Congress, and the Marcos administration that intensified import liberalization policies instead of strengthening the local rice and food production,” Ramos said.

Key findings of the SWS survey

Self-rated poverty increased to 63% in December 2024, the highest since 2003.
Self-rated food poverty rose to 51%, up from 46% in September 2024.
Mindanao and the Visayas have the highest poverty rates at 76% and 74%, respectively.
The annual average self-rated poverty for 2024 reached 57%, a sharp rise from 48% in 2023.

Ramos noted that rural communities, particularly farmers, are among the hardest hit by poverty. “Landlessness, rising costs of farm inputs, and government neglect have left farmers struggling to survive. The administration’s focus on neoliberal policies and debt-driven projects has worsened inequality.”

Ramos and KMP have consistently pointed out that the Marcos Jr administration has implemented neoliberal economic policies that have directly worsened poverty and food insecurity in the Philippines. These policies include the following: import-driven agriculture policies, rising input costs without government support, worsening landlessness and the failure of agrarian reform, token land distribution, focus on debt-driven infrastructure and agribusiness projects, inflation and depressed wages and income; inaction on climate resilience and militarization in rural areas

The KMP renewed its call for genuine agrarian reform, living wages, and food sovereignty to address the deepening poverty crisis. The group also demanded urgent measures, including subsidies for small farmers and effective price controls on basic commodities. ###