Poverty incidence among families in the Negros Island Region dropped sharply to 14.3 percent in 2025, falling from 22.6 percent in 2023 according to regional data.
The Philippine Statistics Authority released the figures on Friday, Nov. 13, showing that about 178,470 families across the region lived below the poverty threshold last year, newsinfo.inquirer.net reported.
Among the general population, the rate stood at 20.4 percent, affecting roughly 987,200 Filipinos who could not meet their basic food and non-food needs, Digicast Negros noted. The official figures emerged during the regional data dissemination forum held in Dumaguete City, Negros Now Daily reported.
Negros Occidental recorded the highest poverty rates in the region, with 18.7 percent of families and 26.3 percent of the population falling below the threshold. Negros Oriental followed with family poverty at 12 percent and population poverty at 17.6 percent.
Bacolod City posted lower figures, registering 2.9 percent among families and 5 percent among residents. Siquijor recorded the lowest rates in the entire region, with family poverty at 0.4 percent and population poverty at 0.7 percent.
John Campomanes, Philippine Statistics Authority Negros Island Region officer-in-charge and interim regional director, attributed the improvement partly to increased household incomes driven by wage adjustments and government financial assistance. Campomanes spoke during the data dissemination forum in Dumaguete City.
“If we look at 2025, there were salary increases as approved by the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board and also the ayuda or government financial assistance is part of the income from other sources domestically.”
On the expenditure side, Campomanes acknowledged that household spending also increased. However, spending grew at a slower pace due to relatively low inflation rates recorded across the region during the year.
Emmanuel Purzuelo, Department of Economy, Planning and Development supervising economic development specialist, welcomed the region’s performance in poverty reduction. Purzuelo emphasized the necessity of sustainable income sources to keep families above the poverty line.
“From the programs that give employment and income generation, we can address our problem on poverty.”
