Hunger falls in first quarter of 2018 — SWS

For the first time since 2004, the number of Filipino families that experienced involuntary hunger in the last three months fell below 10 percent to 9.9 percent in the first quarter of 2018, the SWS said Monday, April 30, 2018. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

For the second time since 2004, the number of Filipino families that experienced involuntary hunger fell below 10 percent, according to the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey.

“This is only the second time Hunger has been in the single-digit range since March 2004,” SWS said early Monday.

In a media release, the Social Weather Stations (SWS) disclosed that about 9.9% or an estimated 2.3 million families suffered hunger from January to March, down from 3.6 million in the last quarter of 2017.

The latest findings showed a six-point drop from the 15.9% hunger level reported in October to December last year, when an estimated 3.6 million families suffered hunger at least once.

The first time hunger fell below 10 percent since 2004 was in the second quarter of 2017, when it hit a record low of 9.5%.

“The 9.9% quarterly Hunger in March 2018 is the sum of 8.6% (est. 2.0 million families) who experienced ‘moderate hunger’ and 1.3% (est. 306,000 families) who experienced ‘severe hunger’,” the SWS noted.

“Moderate hunger” refers to those who experienced hunger “only once” or “a few times” in the last three months, while “severe hunger” refers to those who experienced it “often” or “always” in the same period, the survey firm added.

The SWS noted decreases in hunger rates all over the country.

The research firm noted that hunger levels in Metro Manila fell by 8.7 points, from 14.7% in December to 6.0% in March; while it declined by 8.0 points in Mindanao, from 15.3% in the last quarter to 7.33% now.

Hunger rates also fell in Luzon by 6.7 points, from 17.7% in the last quarter to 11.0% now, and in Visayas by 0.3 points, from 13.3% to 13.0%.

The decrease of hungry Filipino families also coincided with the decline of families who considered themselves poor, the SWS said.

The survey firm explained this “was due to a decrease in the incidence of Hunger among both the Self-Rated Poor and Self-Rated Non-Poor.”

“From December to March, quarterly Hunger fell by 8.2 points among the Self-Rated Poor, from 24.9% in December to 16.7% in March,” the SWS said.

“Hunger also fell among the Self-Rated Food Poor, falling by 8.0 points from 28.8% in December to 20.8% in March. It also fell by 4.5 points among the Not Food-Poor/Food-Borderline, from 9.9% to 5.4%,” it added.

The survey was conducted using face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults, aged 18 years old and above, nationwide. It has a margin of error of ±3% nationwide, ±4% for Luzon, and ±6% each for Metro Manila, Visayas and Mindanao. /cbb