IF THE NATIONAL Capital Region has the highest daily nominal minimum wage of P695 while other regions subsist below this level, a family of five requiring over P1,200 a day to live decently is forced to scrimp on basic needs to be able to feed its members at least twice each day.
The region with the highest funding requirement for a family of five is Region VII (vote- rich Cebu) at P1,420 whereas daily wage there is only P540– which is why that progressive region also teems with unhoused and hungry people begging on the streets. But the outskirts paint an even bleaker reality of poverty and hunger.
Next to Region VII in terms of higher cost to support a family of five is Region IX at P1,375 which ironically has an average daily wage of only P439; followed by Region Region X with a daily funding need of P1,317 for a family of five versus an average daily wage of P500.
This reality was shown by an infographic posted by IBON Foundation on its Facebook page indicating how the national average daily wage of P510 miserably fails to cope with the basic needs of a family worth P1,305.
The lowest daily wage of P411 is the average take- home pay of workers in the Bangsa Moro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and then Region XII at P460 ; Regions V and IVB with P455 daily wage and Region IX at P439 to cover the cost of living of a family of five members.
The Cordillera Autonomous Region’s daily wage of P505 can’t meet the daily needs of a family of five of P1,308 for a decent life.
To live decently, a Filipino family of five requires an estimated gross monthly income of P32,000 to P42,000, according to official records. But the required amount depends significantly on what “decent” means to the household.
The IBON Foundation estimates that a family of five needs P32,000 to P40,000 per month (or P1,312 a day) to cover decent food, housing, education and transportation. This is considered the minimum for a working-class family to survive without extreme hardship.
But for the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), a household of five typically needs about P42,000 a month to live above the poverty line and afford a comfortable lifestyle. This assumes two working adults each earning around P 21,000.
Long-term socioeconomic tracking suggests that to afford a mid-sized home, occasional travel, and a college education for the kids, a family needs a combined monthly income exceeding P100,000.