3.4 million Pinoys experienced hunger in third quarter – SWS

MANILA, Philippines – The number of Filipino families who suffered involuntary hunger in the third quarter declined to around 3.4 million from an estimated 3.7 million in the second quarter, the latest household hunger survey by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) showed.

The third quarter survey, conducted from Sept. 18 to 21, showed the percentage of families suffering from involuntary hunger dropping to 17.5 percent in September from 20.3 percent in June.

SWS said the percentage score of household hunger has consistently been in double-digits since June 2004.

The latest overall figure is five points higher than the 11-year average of 12.9 percent, it said.

The non-commissioned survey conducted face-to-face interviews with 1,800 adults divided into random samples of 300 each in Metro Manila and Mindanao, and 600 each in Balance of Luzon and the Visayas.

The survey has sampling error margins of plus or minus 2.3 percent for national percentages, plus or minus six percent for Metro Manila and Mindanao, and plus or minus four percent for Balance of Luzon and the Visayas.

In the interviews, heads of families were asked if they have “experienced hunger, and did not have anything to eat (nakaranas ng gutom at walang makain).”

SWS said the 2.8-percentage point decline in overall hunger in the third quarter is caused by a 1.5-percent general decline in moderate hunger (experiencing involuntary hunger “only once” or “a few times” in the last three months) and a 1.3- percent general decline in severe hunger (experiencing hunger “often” or “always”) from the second quarter.

In September, 2.7 million families, representing 14.5 percent, said they experienced moderate hunger, a decline from 2.9 million families, representing 16 percent in June.

The latest figure is five points above the 11-year moderate hunger rate of 9.5 percent. Those who did not state their frequency of hunger are placed under this category.

In Mindanao, moderate hunger declined to 16.7 percent in September from 25.3 percent in June.

In Visayas, it declined to 16.1 percent in September from 18.7 percent in June.

In Metro Manila, however, moderate hunger rose to 19 percent in September from 15.3 percent in June. It also jumped in Balance of Luzon to 11.3 percent in September from 10.2 percent in June.

On the other hand, 550,000 families, representing three percent, said they experienced severe hunger in the past three months, compared to 790,000 families, or 4.3 percent in June.

In Balance of Luzon, severe hunger fell to 2.2 percent in September from 4.2 percent in June. In Mindanao, it fell to three percent in September from 4.7 in June. In Metro Manila, it fell to 5.7 percent from seven percent.

In Visayas, it rose to 2.9 percent in the second quarter from 2.3 percent in the previous quarter.

The new score is below the 11-year average severe hunger rate of 3.4 percent.

Overall hunger declines everywhere but rises in NCR SWS said overall hunger eased in most areas except in the National Capital Region.

Overall hunger in Mindanao declined sharply to 19.7 percent (estimated 800,000 families) in September, from 30 percent (estimated 1.3 million families) in June.

In Visayas, hunger declined to 19 percent (estimated 700,000 families) in September, from 21 percent (estimated 775,000 families) in June.

It also declined to 13.5 percent (estimated 1.1 million families) in Balance of Luzon in the third quarter, from 14.3 percent (estimated 1.2 million families) from the second quarter.

It rose, however, in Metro Manila to 24.7 percent (estimated 600,000 families) in September from 22.3 percent (estimated 550,000 families) in June. –Helen Flores (The Philippine Star)