Measuring poverty

CHEERS TO GMA News for explaining how the government measures poverty incidence through food and nutrition requirements. (“Tweaked food threshold distorts PHL poverty picture”, Oct. 16)

According to the National Statistical Coordination Board and the Food and Nutrition Research Institute,  a P172-a-day food bundle “satisfies the nutritional requirements of a five-member Filipino family.”

According to the report, this calculation “has been revised three times in the past 10 years.”

The report also analyzed why some organizations such as  IBON Foundation and the National Nutrition Council question the methodology’s accuracy in determining whether someone is poor and if the food menu provides an adequate and balanced diet.