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GMA Digital Specials: Sino ang Middle Class? (with English subtitles) - YouTube
Channel: GMA Public Affairs
[1]
President Duterte recently approved
[3]
the Php 51 billion wage subsidy program
[7]
for middle class workers
[9]
of small businesses
[10]
affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
[13]
Eligible workers will receive cash aids
[17]
from Php 5,000 to Php 8,000,
[21]
depending on the range of daily wage
[23]
in their respective regions.
[25]
Relief will be divided into two distributions by May.
[29]
The data from BIR (Bureau of Internal Revenue) and SSS (Social Security System)
[33]
will be the basis of the list of beneficiaries
[35]
who will be given cash aid.
[37]
Among the 1.6 million small businesses in the formal sector,
[42]
more than 400,000 have ceased operations due to the COVID-19 crisis.
[46]
Meanwhile, over 100,000 businesses are still operating.
[50]
Before the reports of financial aids for the middle class,
[54]
netizens have been debating
[59]
on what should be the qualifiers of the middle-class bracket.
[63]
How will you know if you are part of the middle class?
[69]
In the Philippines,
[71]
40% of the country's population belong to the middle class.
[75]
Meanwhile, about 58% of these consist of
[77]
the people in the lower income class.
[80]
These were based on the 2018 study of the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS)
[86]
–the government's main socioeconomic policy think tank.
[91]
Here are some indications
[92]
if your family is part of the middle class.
[97]
First, how much does a middle-class family earn?
[102]
You are part of the middle class if your family's annual per capita income
[106]
is two to twelve times in the official poverty lines.
[111]
This means that if the monthly household income of the low-income class
[116]
is less than Php 9,520 to Php 19,040
[123]
while the poor’s income is less than Php 9,520,
[129]
then the middle-class family’s income
[131]
ranges from Php 19,040 to Php 114,240 per month.
[141]
The middle class is also divided into three categories.
[145]
There’s the lower middle income,
[148]
where people earn from Php 19,040 to Php 38,080 per month
[154]
or between two and four times the poverty line.
[158]
The middle income, which earn Php 38,080 to Php 66,640 per month
[166]
or between four and seven times the poverty line.
[170]
And then there’s the upper middle income
[172]
that earn Php 66,640 to Php 114,240 per month,
[181]
between seven and twelve times the poverty line.
[186]
But what about those who are well off?
[189]
We also have the upper income and the rich.
[193]
The upper income class earns from twelve to 20 times the poverty line.
[199]
This means their monthly income ranges from Php 114,240 to Php 190,400.
[211]
Meanwhile, the rich’s monthly income is estimated at above Php 190,400.
[219]
This means their per capita income is 20 times higher than the poverty line.
[225]
Second, where does the middle class live?
[229]
According to PIDS,
[231]
most middle class live in urban areas
[232]
and in the Greater Metro Manila household.
[239]
There is easy access to different services
[242]
and private establishments in these areas.
[246]
Third, what’s the status of education and occupation of the middle class?
[252]
Based on the education attainment of individuals who are 24 years old above,
[257]
most middle class are able to attain
[261]
“high level of education,”
[263]
like a college degree.
[265]
This is because middle class families
[269]
prioritize human capital development like education.
[273]
In fact,
[274]
compared to the low-income class,
[276]
middle class families invest more on education.
[280]
One of the reasons for this is the line of work they usually go into.
[284]
Most middle-class citizens have “non-vulnerable” jobs,
[287]
like those in private establishments.
[290]
Their jobs are also often permanent,
[293]
compared to the low-income class
[296]
who work mostly in the agriculture sector
[299]
and have short term occupations.
[303]
Does your family meet the criteria?
[307]
In addition, PIDS said that even if the middle class are better off,
[311]
most of them are still at risk.
[314]
First, most of our Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) belong to the middle class,
[319]
particularly the lower middle-income cluster.
[323]
Their income depends on foreign remittances.
[327]
This means that the family of an OFW can suffer
[330]
when the contract of their breadwinner expires.
[333]
The situation can worsen,
[336]
especially proper social protection will not be provided.
[338]
Second, even though most of the middle class has access to water,
[343]
those living in disadvantaged areas
[346]
still rely on ground and surface water
[350]
that could be contaminated.
[353]
Third, a large proportion of informal settlers
[356]
are part of the middle class
[358]
who may have difficulty in finding affordable housing.
[364]
In fact, in Metro Manila,
[366]
69 percent of the informal settlers
[369]
belong to the middle class.
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