Most of the families living in Metro Manila depended on cash amelioration programs to supply their daily household expenses while most of those living in the provinces relied on their own salaries during the community quarantine period, the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey revealed.
In a survey conducted from May 4 to 10 among 4,010 respondents, SWS found that 41 percent of families in Metro Manila either used the government’s Social Amelioration Program (SAP) cash assistance, vouchers or gift certificates for their everyday expenses; while 33 percent depended on their salaries, 26 percent on their personal savings, and seven percent on loans.
On the other hand, in Balance Luzon (whole Luzon except Metro Manila), 43 percent of the families relied on their salaries, 41 percent on cash amelioration programs, 24 percent on personal savings, and six percent on loan.
SWS said that, in Visayas, majority of families or 51 percent of them used their salaries for their household expenses, 34 percent used money from amelioration programs, 12 percent used personal savings, and seven percent used loaned money.
In Mindanao, the survey added that, almost half or 49 percent of the total families depended on salaries, 37 percent on cash amelioration, 19 percent on personal savings, and four percent on loans for their daily expenses.
According to the survey, some families did not spend money because they either received relief goods or harvested their own crops.
“While these families are not spending money, it does not imply that all their needs have been met,” SWS noted.
Nonetheless, SWS said that, the plurality of the Filipino families nationwide still depended on their salaries for their daily household expenses during the survey period.
This is because 45 percent of the total Filipino families used their salaries; 39 percent used the money that was given to them through cash amelioration programs; 21 percent used their personal savings; and only six percent used loaned money for their daily expenses, SWS said.
Meanwhile, it added that six percent of the families did not spend money because they received relief goods while two percent did not spend money because they harvested their own crops.
The survey was conducted via phone or computer-assisted telephone interview among respondents aged 15 years old above, SWS said. The respondents were from different parts of the country, whose contact details were previously shared to the institution during face-to-face interviews. (Joseph Pedrajas)