Despite doleouts, hunger incidence highest since ’09

Despite the vaunted cash transfer doleouts or the social welfare department’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) the pang of hunger among Filipino households was recorded at its highest since December 2009 with one in five households saying it experienced a day going by with nothing to eat, the results of a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey conducted between last Sept. 4 and 7 showed.

The question posed was “In the last 3 months, did it happen even once that your family expe-rienced hunger and not have anything to eat?” Those who answered in the affirmative were further asked: “Did it happen only once, a few times, often, or always?”

The survey showed that severe hunger or those who answered often or always among those

who missed out on daily meals was experienced by 3.5 percent of respondents and moderate hunger or those who answered once and a few times of having nothing to eat reached 18 percent.

The hunger level was only matched during the surveys in December, 2009 at 24 percent; March, 2010 at 21.2 percent and June, 2010 at 21.1 percent but these were within the periods of the rice price crisis when the prices of the staple food shot up to about P50 per kilo.

The SWS said the poll used face-to-face interviews with 1,200 adults in Metro Manila, Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

The SWS said the survey questions about the family’s experience of hunger are directed to the household head.

Still, Malacañang defended the conditional cash transfer (CCT) program, alternatively known as the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), saying yesterday even the World Bank have acknowledged its effectiveness.

The Palace said World Bank Group president Robert Zoellick expressed continued support for the CCT program during his courtesy call to Aquino yesterday.

Zoellick was accompanied by other World Bank officials in his meeting with Aquino yesterday morning.

Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office head Secretary Ricky Carandang said that Aquino and Zoellick discussed the CCT program.

“They (WB) are continuing to support us for the CCT,” Carandang said. Carandang said he got Zoellick’s supposed message from Social Welfare and Development Secretary Corazon “Dinky” Soliman who runs the CCT program.

Carandang quoted Soliman as saying that “there is a $100-million facility being made available by the WB if we need it for CCT adding that Zoellick also expressed support for the Aquino administration’s anti-corruption and anti-poverty programs.

President Aquino was joined in his meeting with WB President Zoellick, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Gov. Amando Tetangco, Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima, Soliman, Budget and Management Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad, Transportation Secretary Manuel Roxas II, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary and National Economic and Development Authority director general Cayetano Paderanga Jr.

Other WB officials present in the meeting were James Adams, WB Vice President for East Asia and Pacific; Bert Hofman, WB regional chief economist for East Asia and the Pacific and director of the Singapore office; Motoo Konishi, incoming WB country director; Vishnu Dhanpaul, alternate WB executive director; Sergio Pimenta, director for WB International Finance Group; Camille Funnell, WB Senior Communications Officer; and Marie-Chantal Uwanyiligira, assistant to the WB President.

Earlier, Zoellick was accompanied by Soliman to personally see supposed beneficiary families of the government program in Pasay City.

With Soliman and Zoellick were the World Bank’s vice president for East Asia and the Pacific, Jim Adams. Zoellick were introduced to families who were supposedly benefiting from the CCT, which provides cash to parents who send their children to school and for medical check-ups.

“The best safety net programs are those that deliver efficiently and effectively to the people who need support the most. It was heartening to hear women speak about their commitment to meet the requirements to send their children to school and to seek health care for their families,” Zoellick said.

“While the program here is very young, the tangible benefits are evidence of the value of these programs and highlight that good governance matters – with better targeting helping to empower poor people.” –Virgilio J. Bugaoisan, Daily Tribune