Fewer Filipinos hungry in 3rd quarter

The number of Filipino families who experienced hunger dipped in the third quarter of 2019, the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showed.

According to the noncommissioned survey conducted from Sept. 27 to 30, 9.1 percent or about 2.3 million families said they experienced involuntary hunger  at least once in the last three months, a decrease from the recorded 10 percent or 2.5 million families in June.

Quarterly hunger dropped by 7.4 points in Metro Manila, from the 15.7 percent or about 520,000 recorded families in June to 8.3 percent or 276,000 families.

In Mindanao, total hunger increased by 2.9 points in September to 11.9 percent (673,000 families) from 9 percent (508,000 families) in June.

Recorded hunger in Visayas stayed at 8.7 percent or 409,000 families in September.

In Luzon outside Metro Manila, total hunger decreased by 1.2 points, from 9.3 percent or about one million families in June to 8.1 percent or 893,000 families in September.

SWS interviewed 1,800 adults if their families had experienced hunger and had nothing to eat and asked if it happened to them “only once,” “a few times,” “often” or “always” in the past three months.

Those who experienced hunger “only once” and “a few times” are classified under moderate hunger, those who answered “often” and “always,” referred severe hunger.

Families who experienced moderate hunger declined from 8.7 percent (2.1 million families) in June to 7.4 percent (1.8 million families) in September, while those who experienced severe hunger went up from 1.3 percent (320,000 families) to 1.7 percent (426,000 families).

The survey used face-to-face interviews and had a margin of error of plus-or-minus 2.3 percentage points for national percentage.

In a statement, Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said, “we see the drop in our national hunger rate as hard evidence that the government programs to address hunger and poverty are working.” —REPORTS FROM INQUIRER RESEARCH AND JULIE M. AURELIO