Hungry Pinoys up by 13.3% in Q3 — SWS

The number of Filipinos who experienced involuntary hunger rose by almost a million in the third quarter of the year, a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showed.

The poll, conducted from Sept. 15 to 23, found 13.3 percent or an estimated 3.1 million families experienced involuntary hunger at least once in the past three months.

This was 3.9 points above the 9.4 percent or about 2.2 million families recordes in June 2018 and the highest since the 15.9 percent in December 2017, the SWS said.

The measure of hunger refers to involuntary suffering because the respondents answer a survey question that specifies hunger due to lack of food to eat.

The 13.3 percent quarterly hunger was composed of 10.6 percent (estimated 2.5 million families) who experienced moderate hunger and 2.8 percent (around 643,000 families) who experienced severe hunger.

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 last three months.

The few who did not state their frequency of hunger were classified under moderate hunger, the SWS said.

Moderate hunger increased by 2.5 points, from 8.1 percent in June to 10.6 percent in September, the highest since the 12.2 percent in December 2017.

Severe hunger also went up from 1.3 percent in June to 2.8 percent in September, the highest since December 2017’s 3.7 percent.

Hunger rose by 4.3 points in Metro Manila, from 13 percent (estimated 412,000 families) in June 2018 to 17.3 percent in September 2018 about 549,000 households.

It also increased by 5.4 points in balance Luzon, from in 7.3 percent (around 758,000 families) in June to 12.7 percentor around 1.3 million families in September.

However, hunger fell by 3.3 points in the Visayas, from 9.3 percent (around 419,000 families) in June to six percent or about 269,000 in September.

It rose by seven points in Mindanao, from 11.3 percent (estimated 604,000 families) in June to 18.3 percent or about 975,000 in September.