Abstract

The study exhibited an alternative mapping system that visually displays the structures of welfare relations among comparable geographic areas at the sub-national level (such as regions and provinces) based on a poverty database sourced from the Family Income and Expenditure Survey (FIES) and the Annual Poverty Indicator Survey (APIS). This mapping system is based on the Self-Organizing Map (SOM), also called the Kohonen Map or the Self-Organizing Feature Map. The results suggest that poverty structures and welfare relations among the regions do not change considerable over a period of time of three years. Moreover, this study indicates that poverty in the Philippines is largely a rural phenomenon. It recommends that poverty reduction programs that aim to enhance the income-generating capabilities of the poor must be targeted toward the rural areas.