Fewer hungry Filipino families in Q4 of 2015

The number of Filipino families who said they have experienced involuntary hunger due to lack of anything to eat has decreased by 900,000 households in the last quarter of 2015, the latest Social Weather Stations survey said.

The nationwide survey conducted from December 5 to 8 among 1,200 respondents found out that 11.7 percent of them experienced involuntary hunger at least once in the past three months.

This is lower by four percent from the 15.7 percent or an estimated 3.5 million families who experienced involuntary hunger in the third quarter of last year.

However, the latest hunger rate is still higher than the lowest recorded hunger rate of 5.1 percent in September 2003. The record-high hunger rate was 23.8 percent in March 2012.

The SWS survey questions about the family’s experience of hunger are directed to the household head. They were particularly asked, “Nitong nakaraang tatlong buwan, nangyari po ba kahit minsan na ang inyong pamilya ay nakaranas ng gutom at wala kayong makain? Oo o Hindi?”

It attributed the decrease in hunger rate to the lower incidence of hunger in Metro Manila from 18.3 percent (553,000 families) in September to 17 percent (513,000 families) in December, rest of Luzon from 14.7 percent (1.4 million families) to 9.7 percent (952,000 families), and Mindanao from 21.7 percent (1.1 million families) to 13 percent (658,000 families).

Those who experienced hunger were further asked, “Nangyari po ba ‘yan ng minsan lamang, mga ilang beses, madalas, o palagi?”

About 8.9 percent or two million families said they experienced “moderate hunger” or lacked anything to eat “only once” or “a few times” in the last three months. This is lower than the 14.1 percent or 3.1 million families in the last quarter of last year.

Meanwhile, 2.8 percent or 621,000 families said they experienced “severe hunger” or had nothing to eat “often” or “always” in the last three months. This is higher than the 1.6 percent or 361,000 families last September.

Buoyed by a new survey showing fewer families experiencing involuntary hunger in the country, the Aquino government has pledged to further sustain efforts to reduce poverty and hunger and enable Filipinos to be part of the nation’s economic resurgence.

Read more at http://www.tempo.com.ph/2016/01/12/news/main/fewer-hungry-filipino-families-in-q4-of-2015/#Fbog3LV2YcDGsdYJ.99