The number of Filipino families that experienced hunger has subsided in the past three months, the third quarter of 2019 Social Weather Stations survey has found out.
In the nationwide survey conducted from Sept. 27 to 30 with 1,800 respondents, 9.1 percent or an estimated 2.3 million families experienced involuntary hunger at least once in the past three months.
The SWS explained that involuntary hunger is experienced by a family due to lack of food to eat.
The latest figure is a recovery from the 10 percent or an estimated 2.5 million in June 2019, following an increase from the 9.5 percent or about 2.3 million families in March 2019.
The decrease in the national hunger rate in the third quarter, SWS said, was due to a decrease of 7.4 points in Metro Manila (from 15.7 percent to 8.3 percent), a decline of 1.2 points in the rest of Luzon (from 9.3 percent to 8.1 percent), a steady figure in Visayas (8.7 percent), and an increase of 2.9 points in Mindanao (from nine percent to 11.9 percent).
The SWS pointed out that the 9.1 percent national quarterly hunger rate in September is the sum of 7.4 percent (1.8 million families) that experienced “moderate hunger” and 1.7 percent (426,000 families) that 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.
Compared to June 2019 figures, moderate hunger went down from 8.7 percent (2.1 million families) while severe hunger went up from 1.3 percent (320,000 families). (Ellalyn Ruiz)