THE number of poor families is higher than the estimated P10.9 million, according to Anakpawis partylist.

The group issued the statement as the Social Weather Stations (SWS) released its poverty survey for the first quarter.

The SWS results showed that poor families were 43 percent, borderline poor 34 percent and not poor 23 percent.

"Ang kailangan i-note rito ay dahil 'self-rated.' Dahil masyadong humble ang mga mahihirap na pamilya, inakala nilang kung may P15,000 sila kada buwan ay hindi na sila mahirap. Na sa daily average household income, ito lang ay P500, na malinaw na kulang na kulang para buhayin ang isang pamilya," Ariel Casilao, Anakpawis Party-list president said.

The survey also showed that Self-Rated Poverty Threshold was from P12,000 to P15,000 per month and the Self-Rated Poverty Gap was from P5,000 to P6,000.

Casilao said the survey was useful to show a picture of the national poverty situation.

He, however, said it is too far to depict the concrete situation.

Casilao was referring to the fact that the Family Living Wage (FLW) was computed by the Ibon Foundation at P1,072 per day or P25,252 per month this March.

He said their income gap to the FLW was actually from P16,000 to P18,000.

"Mas makikita ang tunay na bilang ng mahirap na pamilya sa Family Income and Expenditure Survey, kung saan 80 percent o 19.7 milyong pamilya ang nabubuhay lamang sa P1,000 at mas mababa na household income kada araw," Casilao said.

The 2018 Family Income and Expenditure Survey (FIES) of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed that eight decile 2.47 million families had an aggregate income of P917.6 billion for the year, or P370,808 per family, the group said.

Monthly, it fell to P30,901 and daily to P1,016, the partylist said.

They added that half of the families or 12.3 million in the country only live daily on P617 and below.

"Kung Family Living Wage ang ginamit ng SWS, mas magiging superyor ito, at maaari pa ngang gamitin ito sa mga policy recommendation, lalo na ngayong kailangan ng ayuda ng mga mahihirap na pamilya, gayundin ang mga small-and-medium enterprises na tinamaan ng inflation bunsod ng walang katapusang oil price hike," Casilao said.