More Filipinos going hungry amid rising food prices -SWS

MANILA, Philippines - More Filipinos are going hungry because of soaring food prices, a new Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey results made exclusive to a business paper Monday showed. BusinessWorld, a GMANews.TV media partner, reported that SWS considers the rise in hunger incidence as “relatively minimal" and “far from historical highs." “With around 2.9 million Filipino families having experienced involuntary hunger in the last three months, the independent survey research institution said the increase was significant as the number of those saying they frequently had nothing to eat had risen," according to the BusinessWorld report. SWS said the national percentage of 16.3% was still above a 10-year average. The BusinessWorld report added: “Hunger in the survey refers to involuntary suffering due to the lack of anything to eat. It was at 15.7% in the first quarter, and 16.2% in the period before that. The historical high is 21.5%, recorded in September 2007, and the 10-year average is 12.1%." The paper quoted an unnamed official of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo as saying that rising prices of commodities were to blame. But the official assured that the government would continue to implement targeted programs. SWS made the survey from June 27 to June 30 and covered 1,200 household heads nationwide. According to the report, household heads were asked "Nitong nakaraang tatlong buwan, nangyari po ba kahit minsan na ang inyong pamilya ay nakaranas ng gutom at wala kayong makain? Kung oo: Nangyari po ba ’yan ng minsan lamang, mga ilang beses, madalas o palagi?" (In the past three months, was there an instance when your family experienced hunger or had nothing to eat? If yes, did it happen only once, a few times, often, or always?). The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 3% at the national level and plus or minus 6% for regional percentages. Read more by visiting BusinessWorld. - GMANews.TV