Involuntary hunger up by 13.7 percent – SWS

by Chito A. Chavez, July 4, 2016 (updated), http://www.mb.com.ph/involuntary-hunger-up-by-13-7-percent-sws/

A survey network said that the number of families that experienced involuntary hunger rose to 3.1 million in the first quarter of 2016, up from the previous quarter’s 2.6 million families.

In the latest poll conducted by the Social Weather Stations (SWS), it was revealed that the total hunger rate accelerated to 13.7 percent during 2016’s first quarter from 2015’s fourth quarter of 11.7 percent.

However, hunger numbers for 2016 are less than a point from 2015’s first quarter hunger rate of 13.5 percent, and 2015’s whole year-average of 13.4 percent.

In the recent SWS survey, the first quarter 2016 rate was made up of 2.6 million families who experienced “moderate hunger,” having gone hungry once or a few times during the first three months of the year; and 481,000 families who suffered “severe hunger,” or having gone hungry often or always during the first quarter.

The accelerated hunger rate was due to the six-point rise in Mindanao to 19 percent or 978,000 families, from the previous quarter’s 13 percent or 658,000 families while there was also a 2.6-point acceleration in Luzon areas outside Metro Manila, from 9.7 percent (952,000 families) in the fourth quarter of 2015 to 12.3 percent (1.2 million families) during 2016’s first quarter.

SWS said these increases offset the deceleration of hunger rates in Metro Manila, from 17 percent (513,000 families) to 14 percent (429,000 families), and in the Visayas, from 11.3 percent (484,000 families) to 10.3 percent (449,000 families).

Read more at http://www.mb.com.ph/involuntary-hunger-up-by-13-7-percent-sws/#uObIQoOKss5q8sVx.99