This paper looks at the interaction of poverty, fertility preferences, and family planning practice in the Philippines using the series of nationally representative family planning surveys conducted annually since 1999 augmented by census and other survey data. Its contribution lies in providing recent and nationally representative empirical evidence on the long-running but largely unresolved debate in the country on the relationship between fertility preferences and family planning and socioeconomic status. A detailed characterization of the relationships was done using cross-tabulation analyses. In addition, a recursive qualitative response model was estimated to identify the determinants of fertility preferences and family planning practice across socioeconomic groupings. The paper shows that while the number of children ever born is indeed larger among poorer households, their demand for additional children is actually lower and their contraceptive practice is also poorer.