SWS: 3 million Pinoy families still hungry in last 3 months

Hunger has gone down "slightly" in the last three months, with some three million households having had nothing to eat at least once in the last three months compared to 4.1 million families in March. This was the result of a new survey conducted by pollster Social Weather Stations last June 3 to 6, which showed 15.1 percent of Filipino families (about three million) experienced involuntary hunger. It was 5.4 points below the 20.5 percent (4.1 million) families who experienced voluntary hunger in March, SWS said in its survey published in its media partner BusinessWorld Friday. SWS noted the June figures were a turnaround from increases in the last three quarters. It also said this was the lowest since June 2007 when 14.7 percent of households said they experienced involuntary hunger. Moderate, severe hunger The SWS said "moderate hunger," which it defined as experiencing having nothing to eat only once or a few times – dropped by 2.6 points to 13.1 percent (about 2.6 million families) from 15.7 percent (about 3.2 million) families in the previous quarter. Moderate hunger fell in Balance Luzon (Luzon minus Metro Manila) to 7.7 percent in June from a record high of 18.7 percent in March; and in Metro Manila to 11.3 percent from 16.7 percent. However, it rose by 8.6 points in the Visayas (18.3 percent) and 5.3 points in Mindanao (20 percent). Severe hunger, defined as having nothing to eat often or always, declined to 2.0 percent, its lowest level since 2003, the SWS said. It said the number of families suffering from severe hunger went down to 403,000 from 950,000 families (4.7 percent) in March. The SWS said severe hunger fell in all areas, including a 4.3-point drop in Balance Luzon (2.0 percent) and 2.3-point drops in the Visayas (2.7 percent) and Metro Manila (1.7 percent). Severe hunger in Mindanao decreased by 0.3 points to 1.7 percent, it added. The SWS likewise recorded large drops in the overall hunger rates in Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon. But it said hunger rates in Visayas and Mindanao increased to 21 and 21.7 percent respectively. Overall hunger Overall hunger in Balance Luzon fell by 15.3 points to 9.7 percent (845,000 families) from a record high of 25 percent (2.2 million families) in March. “It is the first time since December 2004 for hunger to be at the single-digit level in this area," the SWS said. In Metro Manila, overall hunger fell to 13 percent (366,000 families), the lowest since September 2006 at 12.8 percent. This was down 7.7 points from 20.7 percent (580,000 families) in March, the SWS said. The SWS surveyed 1,200 adults nationwide, using sampling error margins of ±3% for national and ±6% for area percentages. — LBG, GMA News