MANILA, Philippines?More Filipino families across the country experienced involuntary hunger (hunger due to lack of food) between April and June than during the first three months of the year, a recent Social Weather Stations survey showed.

Amid soaring food and fuel prices, involuntary hunger in Metro Manila rose to a record high of more than one in every five households.

A total of 16.3 percent of families nationwide, equivalent to 2.9 million households or around 14.5 million people, experienced involuntary hunger at least once in the previous quarter, up from the 15.7 percent (2.8 million families) reported in March.

The latest figure is 4 percentage points higher than the 10-year average hunger rate of 12.1 percent.

SWS interviewed 1,200 household heads all over the country from June 27 to 30 for the noncommissioned survey, which had a sampling error of plus-or-minus 3 percentage points.

Intensity worsened

Although hunger incidence rose by a small 0.6 percentage point between the March and June figures, its intensity worsened significantly because of the increase in severe hunger, or hunger experienced often or always, SWS said.

Severe hunger went up from 3.2 percent (about 570,000 families or 2.85 million people) to 4.2 percent (760,000 families or 3.8 million people).

At the same time, moderate hunger, which is experienced once or a few times, declined slightly from 12.5 percent to 12.1 percent (about 2.2 million families or 11 million persons).

The rising incidence and severity of hunger in the country came as prices of goods and services jumped 11.4 percent in June from a year ago, the fastest inflation rate recorded in 14 years, due mainly to the substantial increase in food costs.

The price of rice soared by 43 percent because of higher input costs and the growing demand for the staple.

Global problem

Malacañang Monday said President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was implementing measures, including its billion-peso subsidies, to help people cope with rising food and fuel costs and consequently, hunger and poverty problems.

?We look at this (rise in the number of hungry people) as a result of the nationwide crisis, that is global in origin and . . . this is what President Arroyo is focused on,? Press Secretary Jesus Dureza said in a phone-patch interview in Cotabato City where Ms Arroyo is visiting until Tuesday.

Dureza said it was ?not principally? government inaction but the global problem of high food and fuel costs that caused the number of hungry people to rise.

In Metro Manila, hunger was at a record high of 22 percent, which is equivalent to 530,000 families or 2.65 million people.

The rate, first reached in June 2007, is 6 percentage points higher than the one recorded in March (15.7 percent), and is 11 percentage points higher than the 10-year average of 11.2 percent.

Moderate hunger in Metro Manila jumped from 10.3 percent to 16 percent, while severe hunger rose from 5.3 percent to 6 percent.

Although total hunger in the rest of Luzon declined almost 4 percentage points (from 16 percent to 12.3 percent), the area had the highest number of families that went hungry in the past quarter (970,000 families or 4.85 million people).

Severe hunger rose slightly from 3.7 percent to 4 percent, while moderate hunger declined from 12.3 percent to 8.3 percent.

While total hunger in Mindanao barely changed (from 18 percent to 17.7 percent, equivalent to 720,000 families or 3.6 million people), severe hunger increased from 2.7 percent to 4.3 percent. Moderate hunger declined from 15.3 percent to 13.3 percent.

In the Visayas, total hunger rose 7 percentage points (from 12.3 percent to 19.7 percent, equivalent to 710,000 families or 3.55 million people), moderate hunger increased by 5 percentage points (from 11 percent to 16.3 percent) and severe hunger rose 2 percentage points (from 1.3 percent to 3.3 percent). Cyril L. Bonabente, Inquirer Research and Christine O. Avendaño