55 The right to social security of the workers in the informal economy/ sector is a cause for concern especially during this health crisis where additional provisions for hygiene are required such as soap, water, alcohol, medical masks, and face shields to protect oneself from the virus. It is also clear from this data that the monthly average income of the family will not be able to cover contributions for social security coverage. 3. The PSA and NEDA set the poverty threshold to identify people or families falling below the poverty line, or those falling below a certain level of income needed for a basic standard of living. This divide puts so much distress on those who have low socioeconomic status (but without necessarily falling below the poverty line) but are vulnerable to falling into poverty. While not currently in poverty, many events such as illness, natural disasters, humanitarian emergencies, death, and a bad harvest, among others, could straightforwardly push them into poverty. Thus, in determining the poverty threshold, vulnerability and risks must be taken into consideration, especially the geographical characteristics of the country. These people do not enjoy sufficient social security coverage unlike those who live in poverty such as the 4Ps-recipients. 4. The poverty threshold determined by the PSA and NEDA does not seem to have considered the current circumstances of the health crisis, including the drivers that have affected the increase in the prices of basic commodities. This is a matter of great concern as the WIES lost the means of earning a living thereby experiencing a drop in their income. This has resulted in an altered spending pattern. Any increase in food prices, even a small one, has an impact on the living standards of lower‑income households, including the WIES who, as we have seen, spend most of their income on food. a. Workers who participated in the FGDs recognize that employee benefits are valuable particularly those that relate to healthcare, retirement, and paid time off, among others. Notwithstanding the recognition of the tangible and apparent impacts of these benefits for workers, the insufficiency of their earnings evidently shows the structural barriers in accessing social security- they could not afford to spare a single centavo for the contributions to the insurance-based social security scheme, such as the one available at SSS. This resulted in the low availment or consumption of social security packages by the WIES.From the record of SSS, there are at least 16.8 million workers in the formal sector.