Salient findings
The newly constructed panel data show that poverty has significantly decreased from 33% in 2006 to 29.7% in 2009. The growth of household incomes in 2007 and 2008 has favored the poor as their incomes have increased proportionately more than those for the richer households. Consequently, the poverty incidence dropped significantly among rural households as well as those in the agriculture sector. Living conditions of those employed at their own account (largely in agriculture) have improved more than wage and salary workers. The GEC may have cut the gains in reducing poverty over the past three years by pushing nearly 2 million more Filipinos to poverty.