TACLOBAN CITY — Nearly 12,000 families in Northern Samar moved above the poverty threshold over the past two years as the province’s family poverty incidence fell sharply to 12.5% in 2025, according to the latest data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
The PSA’s 2025 Full Year Official Poverty Statistics, released on Aug. 26, showed that the proportion of poor families in Northern Samar declined from 21.8% in 2023 and 19.3% in 2021 to 12.5% in 2025.
The latest figure translates to an estimated 19,760 poor families in 2025, down from 31,530 in 2023 — a reduction of about 11,770 families.
Northern Samar 2nd District Rep. Edwin Ongchuan welcomed the figures, saying the improvement reflected the collective efforts of local communities, government agencies and development partners.
“Almost 12,000 families in Northern Samar have crossed the threshold out of poverty,” Ongchuan said.
He said the achievement should be credited primarily to the people of Northern Samar, particularly farmers and fisherfolk, as well as local officials, national government agencies and development partners.
“This milestone belongs to our farmers, fisherfolk, local officials, national line agencies, our development partners, and every Norte-samarnon who kept working even when progress felt slow,” Ongchuan said.
Ongchuan also congratulated the Provincial Government of Northern Samar under Gov. Harris Ongchuan for sustaining programs that he said contributed to improvements in the lives of residents.
The lawmaker, however, cautioned against complacency, saying poverty-reduction efforts should continue until more families benefit from the province’s economic gains.
“I say to all of them: let’s not slow down until every remaining family shares in this progress,” Ongchuan said.
Despite the improvement, Northern Samar’s 12.5% family poverty incidence ranked fourth among the six provinces in Eastern Visayas.
Leyte recorded a slightly lower rate at 12.4%, while Biliran posted 7.8%. Southern Leyte had the region’s lowest family poverty incidence at 3.4%. Samar and Eastern Samar recorded 15.7% and 20.0%, respectively.
For 2025, the PSA set Northern Samar’s annual per capita poverty threshold at P36,450.64, or about P3,038 per person per month.
The latest figures indicate significant progress but also highlight the need to sustain poverty-reduction measures, particularly livelihood and employment programs, access to basic services and targeted assistance for communities where poverty remains prevalent.
The provincial government now faces the challenge of maintaining the momentum, preventing families who have moved above the poverty threshold from slipping back into poverty, and extending the gains to households that continue to struggle economically.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)
