Hunger among Filipinos worsened to historic levels after results of a new survey said that one in four families experienced having no food on the table. Undertaken last quarter by the Social Weather Stations (SWS), the latest poll said the number of Filipino families that claimed to be hungry reached 4.4 million, and the hunger measure at 24 percent last month. This was more than five points higher than at the end of September and worse than the previous record of 23.7 percent in December 2008. However, fewer families considered themselves poor after a one-point decline was observed among those who classified themselves as food-poor. Self-rated poverty stood at 46 percent (about 8.5 million families), down from 51 percent three months earlier, while self-rated food poverty was at 39 percent, down from 40 percent in the third quarter.
Ondoy, Pepeng The SWS did not say why hunger worsened, but University of the Philippines professor and former National Treasurer Leonor Briones said tropical cyclones Ondoy and Pepeng contributed to the worsening hunger among Filipinos. The aftermath of the cyclones exacerbated the Philippines’ high hunger rates, which she attributed to "bad governance" and the effects of the global economic slump. A report by the United Nations and World Bank earlier pegged damages and losses from Ondoy and Pepeng (international names Ketsana and Parma, respectively) — the worst natural disaster in the region since the East Asian tsunami of 2005 — at $4.38 billion, which is equivalent to 2.7 percent of the country's total economic output. "It's not surprising that the hunger level is high — the economy has not fully recovered," Briones said in a phone interview with GMANews.TV on Tuesday. She also pointed out that while the country's population rate remained high at 2.3 percent — mostly made up of young and dependent Filipinos — the government has not developed sectors such as agriculture to address the country's food woes.
The December 5 to 10 SWS survey showed that 800,000 more households felt moderate hunger — experienced "only once" or "a few times" — to 3.6 million last December. In the meantime, 170,000 more Filipino families experienced severe hunger — experienced "often" or "always" — to 870,000. As a result, moderate hunger rose to 19.3 percent last month from 15 percent at the end of September, while severe hunger rose to 4.7 percent from 3.8 percent, the SWS said. The pollster said overall hunger was up in all areas, rising by 11 points to 27 percent (665,000 families) in Metro Manila; by eight points to 27.9 percent (one million families) in the Visayas; by more than six points to 24.5 percent (one million families) in Mindanao; and by two points to 21.2 percent (1.7 million families) for the rest of Luzon. Moderate hunger rose by more than eight points to 19.7 percent in Metro Manila, by over six points to 21.3 percent in Mindanao; by almost five points to 21.5 percent in the Visayas; and by almost two points to 17.2 percent for the rest of Luzon. Similarly, severe hunger rose by three points in both Metro Manila and the Visayas to 7.3 percent and 6.4 percent, respectively. In Mindanao, it barely moved at 3.1 percent, while it was steady at 4 percent for the rest of Luzon, the survey, which conducted face-to-face interviews with 2,100 adults nationwide, said. The SWS said both self-rated and food poverty indicators slid in most areas but slightly rose in Mindanao. The respondents were asked if their families were poor, on the line, or not poor. Households were also asked to base their answers on the type of food they eat. Self-rated poverty was down by two points to 38 percent in Metro Manila, while its was six points lower at 43 percent for the rest of Luzon. It was 10 points down to 50 percent in the Visayas, while it barely changed at 55 percent in Mindanao, the survey said.
Belt-tightening Meanwhile, self-rated food poverty was two points up to 30 percent in Metro Manila, but seven points lower at 36 percent for the rest of Luzon. The indicator also went down by five points to 41 percent in the Visayas, but rose by 11 points to 48 percent in Mindanao.
The SWS said Filipino families continued to live more frugally, with the self-rated poverty threshold — the monthly budget that poor households need in order not to consider themselves poor in general — barely changing despite rising consumer prices. The average poverty threshold for poor households went down to P12,000. In Metro Manila, the amount went down to P12,000, while it rose to P8,000 for the rest of Luzon, to P7,000 in the Visayas, and to P6,000 in Mindanao. The SWS noted that the P12,000 threshold in Metro Manila was barely up from P10,000 in 2000, considering that prices of goods had since gone up by almost two-thirds. The current level, it added, was equivalent to only P7, 491 in base year 2000 purchasing power. -
To ease situation Meanwhile, the administration said it would ease the situation before President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s term ends on June 30. The National Nutrition Council and Department of Health are now coordinating on hunger mitigation programs, according to National Anti-Poverty Commission Chairman Domingo Panganiban. “
Yan ang projection
na sinasagawa ng facilitated hunger mitigation program ng NNC at DOH, mag-coordinate at mag-monitor (That is the projection of the NNC and DOH’s facilitated hunger mitigation program)," Panganiban said on Tuesday in an interview on dzXL radio. He agree to Briones' observation that much of the hunger could be traced to the devastation caused by Ondoy, which caused heavy damage to farms and fisheries. “
Ang naapektuhan ang magsasaka, wala silang mapro-produce within the next two-and-a-half months.
Ganoon din ang mangingisda (The damage affected farmers who could not produce crops in the next two-and-a-half months. The same goes with fishermen)," he said.
- with a report from Johanna Camille Sisante/NPA/ARCS/RJAB, Jr./ GMANews.TV 
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