Philippine Poverty Threshold 2026: Why P96 Per Day Is Not Enough Amid Rising Food Prices, Low Wages, and the Need for CADENA Act Budget Transparency

This working paper examines why the official Philippine poverty threshold of P96.22 per person per day is too low to reflect the real cost of living. At a modest P150 per meal, food alone costs P450 per person per day—nearly five times the official threshold—before rent, transportation, electricity, water, health care, education, and emergencies. The paper argues that the government must update the poverty threshold, address low wages and food inflation, and strengthen transparency in public spending. It supports the CADENA Act, or Senate Bill No. 1506, which seeks to create a public digital budget portal covering budget preparation, procurement, disbursement, project implementation, and audit. The paper calls for an end to kickbacks, ghost projects, overpriced contracts, and pork-barrel-style spending so that public funds can better serve Filipino families.