Drop in number of hungry families elates Palace

MANILA, Philippines — The Duterte administration is buoyed by a recent poll showing a 4.2 percent year-on-year decrease in the number of families who experienced involuntary hunger, noting that the government’s antihunger and antipoverty policies “are meeting their desired objectives.”

Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles cited last month’s Social Weather Stations survey, which showed a decrease in self-rated hunger in the previous quarter, as proof that the government’s hunger reduction and economic programs are working.

The Duterte administration viewed positive numbers like these “as a sign that its policies are meeting their desired objectives,” Nograles said. —Julie M. Aurelio