Poverty and Social Security in the Philippines — Official Statistics, 4Ps, and the Social Insurance System

As of 2026-09-08 · Updated 2026-09-08 · Section: Population, Labor & Education · 日本語版

注Verified 2026-08-26. The revision history for this article (the year/phase breakdown of the 4Ps budget, the period covered by "graduated" households, the agency that issues poverty statistics, GSIS's employer share for the judiciary bracket, the section numbers of RA 10754/RA 7277, RA 11310's approval date, the explicit citation of RA 11055, and more) is recorded in full table form at the end of the representative file "1987年憲法," under "Verification Record (2026-08-26)."

0. How this article was compiled (handling of sources)

注 The official site of the PSA (Philippine Statistics Authority, psa.gov.ph) could not be reached during this research because of bot-blocking (a automated-access screening challenge screen). As a result, this article relies on: - Official government releases from the DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development) website - LawPhil's original text for legislation (section numbers confirmed against the original text) - World Bank statistical APIs (World Development Indicators) as the primary source for international-organization data - Supreme Court (sc.judiciary.gov.ph) press briefers - Secondary sources such as BusinessWorld / SWS (Social Weather Stations)

Any figure that could not be traced back to the PSA's original tables is marked "注 PSA original table not reached." Wikipedia has not been used as a source anywhere in this article.

1. Official poverty statistics — down to "single digits" in 2025

1-1. The latest figures (full-year 2025)

On Friday, 21 August 2026, the PSA released the official full-year poverty statistics for 2025. 注(Corrected in the 2026-08-26 verification pass. The earlier version attributed the poverty-rate release to "an official DSWD announcement," but the agency that compiles and publishes official poverty statistics is the PSA, and the "9.7%" / "6.5 million people lifted out of poverty" release came from DEPDev — the Department of Economy, Planning and Development, formerly NEDA — together with the PSA. The DSWD is not the responsible agency. Sources: PNA 2026-08-21 / Inquirer 2026-08-21 / GMA 2026-08-21 / Rappler 2026-08-21. 注The PSA's own original tables remain unreached due to bot-blocking.)

DEPDev (Department of Economy, Planning and Development, formerly NEDA) has announced that "6.5 million people escaped poverty between 2023 and 2025," and that the single-digit target of the Philippine Development Plan (PDP 2023–2028) was achieved ahead of schedule (remarks by Secretary Balisacan; GMA / PNA / Inquirer, 2026-08-21). 注(Corrected in the 2026-08-26 verification pass: the announcing agency was corrected from DSWD to DEPDev.) The PSA cites, as the main driver of the improvement, that per-capita income for the bottom decile and second decile grew 23.8% and 22.7% respectively, while the per-capita poverty threshold rose only 5.5% (same reporting).

注 A per-capita monthly figure of ₱2,927 works out to only about ₱96 a day. An analyst quoted by BusinessWorld (2026-08-25) called this level "unrealistically low."

1-2. Trend (2015→2018→2021→2023→2025)

The survey (the FIES, or Family Income and Expenditure Survey) has shifted from a 3-year cycle to a biennial cycle since 2023, so no figure exists for 2024. 注 Note that the "worsening in 2021" fact disappears if you compare 2018 directly to 2023.

1-3. Poverty lines for international comparison (World Bank, 2021 PPP basis)

注 In 2025, the World Bank revised its international poverty line from $2.15 (2017 PPP) to $3.00 (2021 PPP). Older figures based on the "$2.15 standard" are still circulating, so use caution.

(Source: World Bank WDI API, indicators SI.POV.DDAY / SI.POV.LMIC. No 2025 figure available yet.)

1-4. Food poverty (subsistence / food poverty)

注 The raw figures for the 2025 food poverty incidence (subsistence incidence) and food poverty threshold could not be traced to a primary source in this research (PSA original table not reached). What is known is as follows.

• The food poverty threshold has been set at roughly ₱64 per person per day (GMA Network, 2024-11-14, citing the Food and Nutrition Research Institute, FNRI). Broken down per meal, this comes to roughly ₱21 (Rappler, 2024-08-15; BusinessWorld, 2026-08-24).
• The PSA's own National Statistician has acknowledged this food poverty threshold as "insufficient" (BusinessWorld, 2026-08-24).
• Sensitivity analysis: raising the poverty threshold by just 30% would double the family-based poverty rate, from 10.9% to 22.8% (a PSA calculation cited by BusinessWorld, 2026-08-24).
• Revision work on the food poverty threshold has been ongoing since 2024 (BusinessWorld, "P64 food poverty threshold set for revamp," 2025-09-01).

2. Self-rated poverty (SWS Self-Rated Poverty) — a massive gap with the official figures

SWS (Social Weather Stations, a private polling organization) asks respondents face-to-face every quarter whether their family considers itself "poor" (MAHIRAP) or "not poor" (HINDI MAHIRAP).

2-1. The latest figures (June 2026 survey)

(Source: SWS "Social Weather Report," released 2026-08-14; survey conducted 20–29 June 2026, nationwide, 1,200 respondents, margin of error ±3%)

2-2. Breakdown by region (June 2026, SWS)

2-3. Self-rated "poverty line" (respondents' own stated required monthly amount, median)

(Source: SWS, 2026-08-14)

2-4. Why do the official 9.7% and SWS's 49% differ so much?

注 That said, the regional ranking of "where poverty is worst" is largely consistent between the two measures (BusinessWorld, 2026-08-24). The reasonable interpretation is that official statistics are not misidentifying "where" poverty is located — they may simply be understating its "scale."

注 Press reports indicate that SWS's Q4 2025 (December) self-rated poverty figure fell to 37% (PNA, 2026-01-20; Philstar, 2026-01-20 headlines). 注 This quarterly figure could not be traced to SWS's own original release. Note that this indicator swings significantly from quarter to quarter.

注 A separate private poll (OCTA Research, Q2 2026) reportedly found 39% (roughly 10.3 million families) self-identifying as poor (cited by Rep. Antonio Tinio, BusinessWorld 2026-08-23). SWS and OCTA figures also differ from each other.

3. Regional poverty — BARMM, Mindanao, and Eastern Visayas

As of 2023, 11 of the 17 regions had reduced their poverty rate (PNA, 2024-08-15). The assessment that structural poverty is concentrated in Mindanao, Bicol, and Eastern Visayas still holds as of 2026 (BusinessWorld, 2026-08-24).

注 The 2024 announcement that "BARMM is no longer the poorest region" (BARMM government, Manila Bulletin, 2024-08-16) should be read in the context of a steep drop from 52.6% in 2018. Its absolute level remains roughly 1.5–2 times the national average.

4. 4Ps (Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program) — the conditional cash transfer program

4-1. Legal basis: RA 11310 (2019)

Republic Act No. 11310, the "Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) Act" (approved 17 April 2019; Senate Bill No. 2117 was passed by the Senate on 4 February 2019, and the House adopted it on 7 February as an amendment to House Bill No. 7773, followed by President Duterte's signature), turned a program that had run since 2007 into a statutory one. Provisions have been confirmed against LawPhil's original text. (Approval date confirmed in the 2026-08-26 verification pass. Source: the end of LawPhil's ra_11310_2019.html original text, which reads "Approved: April 17, 2019.")

4-2. Grant amounts (RA 11310, Section 7, original text)

A rice subsidy has been added on top of this since 2017.

4-3. Scale and budget

注(Three points corrected in the 2026-08-26 verification pass) 1. "2026 proposed budget of ₱129.9 billion" is incorrect. The GMA article cited as the source (2025-08-13) headlines "P129.9 billion," but the same article's body text quotes President Marcos as saying "almost P113 billion," and Rappler (2025-09-09) and DSWD's own releases consistently cite ₱113.0 billion. The final 2026 GAA figure is also ₱113.0 billion. Never cite a headline figure without cross-checking it against the article's body text. 2. "2027 request = ₱100 billion for 4Ps / ₱270 billion for DSWD overall" is a "request," not a budget proposal. On an NEP (National Expenditure Program) basis, the figures are ₱99.08 billion for 4Ps / ₱241.6 billion for DSWD overall. Always distinguish between the three stages: "agency request," "budget proposal (NEP)," and "enacted amount (GAA)." 3. "1.4 million households graduated in 2026" is a misreading. The 1.4 million figure is the cumulative number delisted since 2022, not a single-year figure for 2026. The 500,000 households newly registered in 2026 are not a net increase but a partial restoration of previously graduated slots (in Secretary Gatchalian's words, "Hindi tayo nagdadagdag. Nire-restore lang natin" — "We are not adding, we are only restoring"). 注Note that the "cumulative graduated households" figure is also cited as 1.6 million by DSWD's own release (2026-07-28) — since the reference date and definition ("delist" criteria) differ, both figures are noted here.

4-4. Evaluating effectiveness (World Bank, PIDS)

Key points from the World Bank's "Strengthening the Philippines' Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program" (policy note, 5 July 2024, authored by Gudmalin, Cho, Rodriguez, and Revilla):

(1) Effectiveness has been demonstrated - PIDS (Philippine Institute for Development Studies)'s third-wave impact evaluation (2020): increased deworming among children aged 6–14 and Vitamin A supplementation/growth monitoring among children aged 0–5. Education effects were more pronounced among older children. - A 2011 evaluation: severe stunting among children aged 6–36 months in beneficiary households was 10 percentage points lower than the non-beneficiary baseline of 24%. School attendance among 12–14-year-olds was around 90% in 4Ps areas versus 84% in non-4Ps areas. - After Typhoon Haiyan (2013), 4Ps prevented affected households from falling into extreme poverty (Pfutze 2023). It also maintained food security through the pandemic (Cho et al. 2021).

(2) But there are serious design flaws

(3) World Bank recommendations: (1) accelerate recertification using the newest registry data; (2) shift from a static registry to a dynamic social registry; (3) cross-use the national ID (PhilSys); (4) introduce an inflation-indexing mechanism for grant amounts; (5) revise the allocation of benefits across age groups; (6) continue case management (the Kilos-Unlad framework); (7) allow a choice of multiple financial service providers.

(Added in the 2026-08-26 verification pass) PhilSys's legal basis is RA 11055, the "Philippine Identification System Act" (approved 6 August 2018) (source: the title and closing text of LawPhil's ra_11055_2018.html, which reads "Approved: August 06, 2018"). For new 4Ps registrations in 2026, barangays post pre-registration lists for 15 days to prevent duplication, and identity verification is conducted through PhilSys (DSWD / PNA, 2026-03-26). In other words, RA 11055 stands alongside RA 11310 (the 4Ps law) and RA 11315 (the CBMS law) as one of the three pillars for identifying the poor.

注 Related law: RA 11315 (the Community-Based Monitoring System Act, 2019) is shifting the identification of poor households from the DSWD-led Listahanan toward the PSA-implemented CBMS. RA 11291 (the Magna Carta of the Poor) requires NEDA to maintain a single beneficiary classification system (both cited in the World Bank note).

5. Social insurance — SSS / GSIS / PhilHealth / Pag-IBIG

5-1. Overview

SSS and GSIS are entirely separate systems, and a member generally belongs to one or the other, not both. Benefit design and contribution rates also differ. Government employees never enroll in SSS, and vice versa. 注When someone moves between public and private employment, crediting service under the Portability Law (RA 7699) becomes an issue.

5-2. SSS — the contribution-rate schedule completed in 2025, held flat for 2026

The contribution-rate schedule set out in RA 11199, Section 4(a)(9) (confirmed against LawPhil's original text):

The same law's Section 18 requires employers to deduct and withhold the employee's share from wages (the rate follows Section 4(a)(9)). The rate remains at 15% through 2026, unchanged. SSS has stated there will be "no increase through 2027" (reported 2026-02-26). The contribution-rate table that took effect 1 January 2025 is based on SSS Circulars 2024-006 through 2024-010 (SSS's official site). The portion of the MSC exceeding ₱20,000 is directed to the WISP (Workers' Investment and Savings Program), a funded second-pillar component.

Developments in 2025–2026 (pension increases)

注 The structure of "raising pensions 10% a year for 3 years without raising contributions" has sparked debate over sustainability relative to the fund's life. RA 11199's rate increases end in 2025, so additional funding must come from investment returns.

5-3. GSIS (government employees)

The original text of RA 8291, Section 5(a) (confirmed against LawPhil):

注(Corrected in the 2026-08-26 verification pass. The earlier version left the government-share entry for the judiciary/constitutional commissioners row as "—," but the original text explicitly states that "Members of the judiciary and constitutional commissioners shall pay three percent (3%) of their monthly compensation as personal share and their employers a corresponding three percent (3%) share for their life insurance coverage" — i.e., the employer side also pays 3%. Source: LawPhil's ra_8291_1997.html, Section 5(a).)

GSIS's personal-share rate (9%) is higher than SSS's (5%), and its government-share rate (12%) is also higher than SSS's employer share (10%). At 21% combined versus 15%, government employees carry a heavier — but more generously matched — contribution.

Benefits listed under the same law: (1) retirement benefits (lump sum plus lifetime old-age pension); (2) separation benefits; (3) unemployment/involuntary separation benefits; (4) permanent total disability; (5) permanent partial disability; (6) temporary total disability (up to 120 days); (7) survivorship benefits; (8) funeral benefits; (9) compulsory life insurance; (10) optional insurance.

注 GSIS's unemployment benefit and life insurance are a major difference from SSS (SSS also has an unemployment benefit, but its design differs).

5-4. PhilHealth — the 2025 Supreme Court ruling on the transfer of its reserve fund

(1) Contribution rates

The rate schedule set out in RA 11223, Section 10 (confirmed against LawPhil's original text):

注 2023 was frozen at 4.0% by presidential directive (a note in PhilHealth Circular 2019-0009). The statutory rate was 4.5%, but the rate actually applied was 4%. Older materials citing 4.5% should be treated with caution. Both 2025 and 2026 hold steady at 5% (PhilHealth, reported by PIA 2026-05-14 / 2025-12-18). With the ceiling at ₱100,000, the monthly contribution cap is ₱5,000 (split between employer and employee).

(2) The transfer of reserve funds to the national treasury and the Supreme Court ruling

In 2024, the government moved to transfer ₱89.9 billion of PhilHealth's "excess funds" to the national treasury. Multiple constitutional challenges were filed in response.

The Supreme Court ruling (handed down 3 December 2025; press briefer 5 December 2025)

RA 11223's Section 11 provides that when reserves exceed the ceiling, the excess must be used for expanding benefits and lowering premiums — the Court held that the treasury transfer violated this. The government has stated it will not appeal (reported 26 December 2025), and the ₱60 billion was returned in May 2026 (per Inquirer's 2026-05-08 headline).

(3) PhilHealth's financial position (2026)

注 With benefit payouts far outstripping premium revenue, officials themselves have said "we won't break even for now — that's a deliberate consequence of strengthening the benefit package." The 2025 "transfer" controversy is the flip side of this deficit structure.

(4) Benefit expansion (2025–2026) - YAKAP (primary care): covers over 33 million people across 4,287 clinics (PhilHealth official, 2026-05-15) - GAMOT: provides up to ₱20,000 worth of free medicine per year (PhilHealth official, 2026-06-04; launched in Zamboanga Sibugay) - Expanded maternal and child health benefits, and rationalized case rates (PhilHealth Advisory PA2026-0046) - 注 The "tiered benefits" concept has also drawn criticism (BusinessWorld, 2026-07-15)

5-5. Pag-IBIG (HDMF)

注 Pag-IBIG functions more as compulsory savings plus housing finance than as social insurance in the strict sense. It is not a primary vehicle for retirement income security. 注 The "Monthly Fund Salary" of ₱10,000 that underlies the contribution cap could not be confirmed against a primary source in this research.

6. Other social assistance — AICS, AKAP, the social pension, and the food-stamp program

6-1. AICS (Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation)

An emergency assistance program run by the DSWD for individuals and households facing a crisis. Covers medical costs, burial expenses, transportation, education, food, and more.

Starting in June 2026, medical assistance has shifted from cash disbursement to a "guarantee letter" model, expanding partnerships with pharmacies, hospitals, and laboratories (DSWD official, 2026-06-25). 注 This is thought to be an anti-diversion/anti-fraud measure. The DSWD has stated explicitly that proof of indigency is not required to receive disaster relief supplies (2026-08-25).

6-2. AKAP (Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program) — discontinued in 2026

A cash grant for low-income workers, whose name translates roughly to "aid for those with insufficient income." It expanded rapidly in the 2024 budget, but was zero-funded in the 2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA), effectively discontinuing it.

注 The accurate understanding is that AKAP was discontinued amid criticism as "political dole-outs (ayuda)" and audit findings, with its funding folded into AICS. This is why AICS's 2026 budget rose sharply.

6-3. The Social Pension for senior citizens

• 注This ₱500 figure is the "as-enacted text," not current law. RA 9994, Section 5(h)(1) (the 2010 text as enacted) provides that "Indigent senior citizens shall be entitled to a monthly stipend amounting to Five hundred pesos (Php500.00)," but this has since been amended by RA 11916 below (amendment confirmed in the 2026-08-26 verification pass. 注 LawPhil's posted text of RA 9994 remains the as-enacted version showing ₱500, so it should not be cited as current law without checking for amendments).
• RA 11916 (approved 30 July 2022), "AN ACT INCREASING THE SOCIAL PENSION OF INDIGENT SENIOR CITIZENS AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR, AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE REPUBLIC ACT NO. 7432...," raises the monthly amount to "not less than ₱1,000." The law it names as amended is RA 7432 (the 1992 Senior Citizens Act), "as amended" — with RA 9994 itself being a law that previously amended RA 7432 (distinguish between "the number of the amending law" and "the number of the law being amended." In practice this is written as "RA 9994 as amended by RA 11916"). Disbursement at ₱1,000 began in February 2024 (SunStar / ABS-CBN, 2024-01-22).
• The same law requires the DSWD, with DBM approval, to review the amount every two years, taking CPI and economic indicators into account.
• A plan to add 500,000 more people to the rolls in 2026 (PIA, 2026-01-14).
• 注 Misinformation has circulated claiming "senior citizens receive ₱12,000 a month" (Rappler fact-check, 2024-03-13). The correct figure is ₱1,000 per month.

6-4. Walang Gutom Program (food-stamp program)

• A mechanism that loads ₱3,000 worth of food credit per month onto an EBT card, redeemable for food at designated outlets such as Kadiwa stores (DSWD official).
• Targets the bottom 1 million households among the 10 million poorest identified under Listahanan 3 (the program is branded "Walang Gutom 2027").
• Beneficiaries' experience of hunger reportedly fell by 7.2 points, according to the Presidential Communications Office (PCO, 2025-09-03).
• The associated "Walang Gutom Kitchens" served 302,561 meals in the first half of 2026, with plans to expand to 12 locations nationwide by 2027 (DSWD official).

7. Discounts for senior citizens and persons with disabilities (20% discount + VAT exemption)

注(Wording corrected in the 2026-08-26 verification pass) The earlier version wrote this as "RA 10754, Section 32(a)," but RA 10754 has no Section 32. The law consists of only 6 sections in total, with Section 1 stating "Section 32 of Republic Act No. 7277, as amended … is hereby further amended," thereby rewriting RA 7277's Section 32. The same rule this article cluster established for RA 6657/RA 9700 — not to confuse the section number of an amending law with the section number of the law it amends — applies equally here (source: LawPhil's ra_10754_2016.html, ending "Approved: MAR 23 2016"). For the same reason, "RA 9994 Section 4(a)" is, strictly speaking, "RA 7432 Section 4(a), as amended by RA 9257 and RA 9994" (see the amendment-chain table at the end of this section).

The 9 categories listed in RA 9994, Section 4(a) ① medicines and vaccines and medical supplies / ② physician fees at private facilities / ③ professional fees for home-based medical care / ④ medical and dental services and laboratory tests / ⑤ public land transportation fares / ⑥ domestic air and sea travel fares / ⑦ hotels and restaurants / ⑧ admission fees to theaters and places of leisure / ⑨ funeral services

The 8 categories listed in RA 7277, Section 32(a) (as amended by RA 10754, Section 1) ① hotels, lodging, restaurants, and recreation centers / ② theaters, cinemas, concert halls, circuses, and similar venues / ③ medicines at drugstores / ④ medical, dental, and laboratory services at public health facilities / ⑤ medical and dental services at private hospitals / ⑥ domestic air and sea travel / ⑦ land transportation (buses, jeepneys, taxis, LRT, MRT, PNR) / ⑧ funeral services on the death of a PWD

注 The "20% discount" and "VAT exemption" are two separate benefits — applied together, the effective reduction exceeds 20%. 注 Businesses are permitted to treat the discount amount as a deductible business expense for tax purposes, which raises a design question, since it effectively shifts the cost onto private businesses. 注 The RA 9994 20% discount includes "restaurants," but applies only to the purchaser's own consumption (proration for group dining is a recurring point of practical dispute).

(RA 9994's amendment status, confirmed in the 2026-08-26 verification pass)

注RA 9994 itself is part of an amendment chain running RA 7432 (1992) → RA 9257 (2003) → RA 9994 (2010), and that chain has since been further overlaid by RA 10645 (2014) and RA 11916 (2022). When citing "a provision of RA 9994," always check whether it has been affected by these two later laws (source: LawPhil's ra_11916_2022; Supreme Court E-Library entries for RA 11916 and RA 10645).

8. The informal sector and the social security gap

8-1. Scale

Roughly one in three workers in the Philippines works outside a formal employment contract. 注 These are ILO modeled estimates and do not correspond to the "informal sector" as defined in the PSA's own Labor Force Survey (LFS) tables. The latest figure under the PSA's official definition could not be traced to a primary source in this research (注 primary source not reached).

8-2. The structure of the gap

As a result, the most vulnerable group is one that "doesn't qualify for 4Ps and effectively cannot join SSS." The government is aware of this: in the 2026 State of the Nation Address (SONA), President Marcos called on informal-sector workers to contribute to SSS and Pag-IBIG (GMA Network, 2026-07-27; PNA, 2026-07-27). SSS has deployed on-site registration caravans targeting market vendors and motorcycle-taxi riders (PIA, 2026-07-15), and signed a memorandum enrolling 50,000 riders of the ride-hailing app Angkas in SSS (2024-07-31), among other efforts.

注 However, these initiatives reach tens of thousands to a few hundred thousand people at most — a mismatch of scale against a vulnerable-employment population of roughly 16 million. The structural gap remains unresolved.

9. Remittances — effectively "the other social safety net"

9-1. Scale

注 The share of GDP has gradually declined (from 9.99% in 2017 to 8.53% in 2025). The dollar amount keeps rising, but GDP has grown faster. The claim that "dependence on remittances keeps rising" is incorrect by some measures.

9-2. Why remittances function as "social security"

注 The weaknesses of this structure: (1) since remittances are not a formal entitlement, they cannot be claimed as a right; (2) only households that were able to send a member abroad receive them, and the poorest households are the least able to send someone overseas (barriers of travel cost, language, and recruitment fees); and (3) they are subject to the economic and policy conditions of destination countries (conditions in the Middle East, or immigration policy in Japan or North America). Remittances function less as "social security for the poor" than as support for the middle class.

10. Key takeaways

1. The official 2025 poverty rate of 9.7% is a genuine improvement, but it rests on a very low poverty threshold (about ₱96/day). Raise the line by 30% and the family-based poverty rate doubles (per the PSA's own sensitivity analysis).
2. The gap between the official 9.7% and SWS's 49% (June 2026) can be explained by the difference between objective and subjective measurement, differing reference amounts, and differing survey periods (2025 saw exceptionally low 0.3% inflation for the bottom 30%, versus 8.2–8.5% in 2026). Regional rankings are largely consistent between the two.
3. 4Ps is a program with demonstrated effectiveness, but the real value of its grants has eroded 20% since 2019, and its targeting has grown stale due to a static registry (World Bank, 2024). The household ceiling is 4.4 million (the highest actual achieved was just over 4.3 million); the cumulative number graduated since 2022 is 1.4–1.6 million; and 2026 is a turnover period in which 500,000 households (of which 493,000 are new registrations) are being "restored." The 2026 GAA sets the 4Ps budget at ₱113.0 billion, with a proposed cut to ₱99.08 billion in the 2027 NEP. 注(The 2026-08-26 verification pass corrected the earlier version's "2026 proposed budget of ₱129.9 billion," "2027 request of ₱100 billion," and "1.4 million households graduated in 2026.")
4. The biggest institutional event of 2025 was the Supreme Court ruling on the transfer of PhilHealth's reserve fund to the treasury (G.R. No. 274778 et al., 3 December 2025). It voided the GAA special provision and the DOF circular, ordered the return of ₱60 billion, and permanently barred the transfer of ₱29.9 billion. The basis was RA 11223, Section 11.
5. AKAP was discontinued in 2026, with its funding folded into AICS (₱63.9 billion). This followed COA's finding of ₱926 million in improper disbursements.
6. Roughly one in three workers (33.6% vulnerable employment, 2025 ILO estimate) sits outside the formal system. Self-employed enrollees, who receive no employer contribution, must pay the full 15% themselves, which discourages enrollment.
7. Annual remittances of US$35.6 billion (2025) function as a de facto social safety net, but carry no entitlement status and reach the poorest least.

11. Key sources

Primary sources - LawPhil: RA 11310 (the 4Ps Act, approved 2019-04-17), Sections 4–12 and 24 / RA 11199 (Social Security Act 2018), Section 4(a)(9) and Section 18 / RA 8291 (GSIS Act 1997), Section 5(a) / RA 11223 (UHC Act 2019), Sections 10 and 11 / RA 7432 (Senior Citizens Act 1992, its Section 4(a) as amended by RA 9257 [2003] and RA 9994 [2010], its Section 5(h)(2) as amended by RA 10645 [2014-11-05], and its Section 2(j)/5(h)(1) as amended by RA 11916 [2022-07-30]) / RA 7277 (Magna Carta for PWDs), Section 32(a) (as amended by RA 10754 [2016-03-23], Section 1) / RA 11055 (the PhilSys Act, approved 2018-08-06) - (2026-08-26 verification) All of the above law numbers, approval dates, and section numbers have been re-cross-checked against LawPhil's original texts (ra_11310_2019 / ra_11199_2019 / ra_8291_1997 / ra_11223_2019 / ra_9994_2010 / ra_11916_2022 / ra_10754_2016 / ra_10645_2014 / ra_11055_2018). - Supreme Court (sc.judiciary.gov.ph): PRESS BRIEFER, December 05, 2025 / Yearender 2025 (G.R. Nos. 274778 / 275405 / 276233, decided 3 December 2025) - DSWD official releases: 2026-08-21 (9.7% poverty rate) / 2026-07-28 (2027 budget request) / 2026-07-16 (AICS H1 figures) / 2026-06-25 (guarantee-letter model) / 2026-08-25 (disaster relief) - PhilHealth official releases: Circular 2019-0009 (contribution table) / 2026 advisories / 2026-05-15 (YAKAP) / 2026-06-04 (GAMOT) - SSS official releases: contribution rate table effective January 2025 (Circulars 2024-006 through 2024-010) - SWS: Social Weather Report, 2026-08-14 (June 2026 survey), 2026-05-08 (March survey), 2025-04-12 (March 2025 survey) - World Bank: WDI API (SI.POV.NAHC / SI.POV.DDAY / SI.POV.LMIC / SL.EMP.VULN.ZS / SL.EMP.SELF.ZS / BX.TRF.PWKR.DT.GD.ZS) - World Bank, "Strengthening the Philippines' Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program: Policy Note," 2024-07-05 (full text of the original PDF referenced)

Secondary sources - BusinessWorld (2026-08-21 / 08-23 / 08-24 / 08-25, 2026-06-02, 2026-02-27, 2026-08-13, 2026-08-23) - Reporting from PNA, PIA, GMA Network, Philstar, Inquirer, Rappler, and Manila Bulletin (dates cited in the body text)

注 The PSA's official release tables (psa.gov.ph) could not be reached due to bot-blocking. Detailed poverty-statistic breakdowns (the 2025 food poverty rate, region-by-region figures for all 17 regions, and the food poverty threshold amount) are not included in this version. Obtaining the PSA's original tables is a task for the next revision.

日本語の詳細版: 分野「貧困と社会保障」「フィリピンの貧困と社会保障 ── 公式統計・4Ps・社会保険の全体像」（本サイト日本語版）。