Cagayan de oro city: A family of five in Northern Mindanao require a monthly income of PHP9,676 to cover essential food needs, according to a 2023 report from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) released Wednesday. In a statement Thursday, PSA-10 (Northern Mindanao) Chief Statistical Analyst Sarah Balagbis said the latest threshold reflects a 15.4% increase from 2021, when the region’s average was estimated at PHP8,385.
According to Philippines News Agency, Northern Mindanao’s food threshold was higher than the estimated national food threshold of PHP9,581. Among regional areas, Cagayan de Oro City posted the highest monthly food threshold at PHP10,068, while Camiguin province recorded the lowest at PHP9,459. The threshold is part of PSA’s biennial subsistence incidence report, which measures families’ ability to meet essential food needs.
PSA-10 estimated that in 2023, around 4.8% of Northern Mindanao families fell below the food threshold, equating to 48 out of every 1,000 families unable to meet ba
sic food requirements. This marks a decrease from 6.2% in 2021 but remains higher than the national subsistence rate of 2.7%. The PSA noted that, despite improvements, Northern Mindanao’s food poverty rates reflect ongoing challenges for many families striving to meet basic dietary needs.
