For the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), ₱64/day or ₱21/meal is the threshold for a Filipino to be considered “food poor.” This means that a family of five spending more than ₱9,581/month for food will no longer be considered poor by the state. This amount is equivalent to 72.2% of a worker’s average monthly salary pegged at ₱13,268/month.

NEDA further boasted that by 2025, the “food poor” threshold will “increase” by ₱3 or become ₱67/day in account for inflation.

NEDA secretary Arsenio Balisacan himself revealed this absurdity during the Senate hearing on the national budget for poverty alleviation by 2025. The standard is so low even the senators tasked him for a review since food prices recently skyrocketed.

NEDA’s starvation diet is only a fourth of what is set by the National Nutrition Council (NNC) which is ₱242.53/day or ₱80.84/meal for a balanced and nutritious diet. For a family of five, this means a budget of ₱1,212.65/day for food alone. The daily requirement will be even higher if there is an infant, teenager or pregnant woman in the family because they have special food requirements. The NNC said the cost of a healthy diet has steadily increased in recent years—from ₱226.60 in 2017, ₱236.04 in 2018, ₱238.9 in 2019, to ₱242.53 currently. A nutritious diet is a measure of the “food security” of the people.

The Expanded National Nutrition Survey of the Department of Science and Technology–Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST-FNRI) in January, a Filipino consumes an average of four cups of rice per day, equivalent to about one kilo of rice. This means that every Filipino consumes about ₱50 worth of rice and rice products. The rest of his income will be divided among vegetables, fish and other seasonings. In collaboration with the World Health Organization, Department of Health and National Nutrition Council, DOST-FNRI developed the Pinggang Pinoy or nutritious food standards for the Filipino table. An example of Pinggang Pinoy is a cup of rice, a medium slice of chicken, a cup of vegetables and one type of fruit for one meal.