4-M households still hungry – survey

About four million Filipino households nationwide continue to experience hunger, with a rate that has remained at double-digits, according to the second quarter Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey results released Wednesday.

In the nationwide survey conducted June 25 – 28 with 1,200 respondents, 21.1 percent of families said they have experienced hunger in the past three months.

The current proportion of Filipinos who experienced hunger in the past three months remains unchanged as compared to the previous quarter at 21.2 percent.

SWS noted that hunger has now been over 20 percent for three consecutive quarters. A record-high 24 percent was even recorded in December 2009.

“The 1998-2010 average has risen to 13.6 percent,” the SWS pointed out.

The measure of hunger refers to involuntary suffering because the respondents answer a survey question that specifies hunger due to lack of anything to eat.

Survey questions about household hunger are directed to the household head, using the phrase “experienced hunger, and did not have anything to eat (nakaranas ng gutom at wala kayong makain).”

Overall hunger rose by almost five points in Metro Manila, from 17.3 percent or 432,000 families in March to 22 percent or 550,000 families in June.

It also rose by two points in Mindanao, from 24 percent or 1 million families to 26 percent or 1.1 million families.

Meanwhile, it declined by almost three points in Balance Luzon, from 20.9 percent or 1.7 million families to 18.3 percent or 1.5 million families.

It hardly changed in the Visayas, from 21.2 percent or 800,000 families to 21 percent or 790,000 families.

SWS pointed out that although overall hunger hardly changed, “severe hunger” rose by 1.4 percent and “moderate hunger” fell by 1.5 percent.

Moderate hunger, referring to those who experienced it “only once” or “a few times” in the last three months, declined from 18.4 percent or 3.4 million families in March to 16.9 percent or 3.2 million families in June.

The pollster said the few who did not state their frequency of hunger were also placed in this category.

Meanwhile, severe hunger, referring to those who experienced it “often” or “always” in the last three months, rose from 2.8 percent or 530,000 families in March to 4.2 percent or 780,000 families in June.

“Thus, the Severely Hungry became 20 percent of the Overall Hungry, up from 13 percent in the previous quarter,” the SWS said.

Moderate hunger rose by almost six points in Metro Manila, from 13.3 percent in March to 19 percent in June.

It fell by four points in Balance Luzon, 18.1 percent to 14 percent, and by almost two points in the Visayas, from 18.8 to 17.3 percent.

Meanwhile, it hardly changed in Mindanao, from 21.4 to 21 percent.

The SWS noted that the new moderate hunger rates are higher than their 12-year averages for all areas. -ELLALYN B. DE VERA, Manila Bulletin