One fifth of 88-M Pinoys experience hunger

October 24, 2007  --  Got something to say?
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Poverty and Hunger in the Philippines, Give a Helping HandMANILA More than one fifth of the total Philippine population of more than 80 million are experiencing involuntary hunger, according to the latest survey of Social Weather Stations released early this month.

It said this consists of about 3.8 million Filipino families who have suffered from involuntary hunger in the past three months, hitting a new record-high of 21.5 percent, SWS said.

The result of the survey strengthened the claim of political leaders and economists that the real gauge of economic progress is whether this progress is felt in the lower levels of society. Every time Malacanang crows about economic growth, Sen. Mar Roxas, an economist, said the test of such growth is whether it seeps down to the masses.

The opposition is expected to use it as a foil to lambastes the administration while leftist groups will boost its propaganda campaign that in the Philippines, the rich gets richer and the poor poorer.

The new household hunger score is almost 10 points above the 11.8 percent average in 38 quarterly SWS surveys from mid-1998 to the present, SWS said in its latest survey.

But while hunger incidence rose in the balance of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, it declined in Metro Manila, SWS said.
The independent pollster said that after a short-lived decline for one quarter, families experiencing food shortage in the past three months rose to 21.5 percent from 19 percent in November 2006 and February 2007.

The Sept. 2 - 5 SWS survey used face-to-face interviews with 1,200 statistically representative household heads ? 300 each in Metro Manila, the balance of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

The national deterioration was due to new record highs of 22.3 percent in the rest of Luzon, and 21.7 percent in the Visayas, the pollster said.

The measure refers to involuntary suffering because the respondents answer a survey question that specifies hunger due to lack of anything to eat,” SWS said.

Moderate hunger, or hunger experienced only once or a few times in the last three months, rose to a record high 17.4 percent in September from 12.5 percent in June. This category also includes a few who did not state their frequency of hunger,” the survey firm said.

On the other hand, severe hunger, referring to those who experienced it often or always in the last three months, went up to 4.1 percent in September from 2.2 percent in June.

The SWS said the record high level of severe hunger in the SWS surveys was six percent in March 2001. It previously reached five percent or more in November 1998, March 2000 and July 2000.

Between June and September 2007, overall hunger rose by 10 points in the rest of Luzon from 12 percent to a record-high 22.3 percent, and by nine points in the Visayas, from 12.3 percent to a record-high 21.7 percent.

It also rose by four points in Mindanao, from 17.7 percent to 22 percent. SWS said overall hunger in Metro Manila declined by four points, from its record-high of 22 percent in June to 17.7 percent in September, returning to its levels in 2006.

Moderate hunger declined in Metro Manila from 17.7 percent to 12 percent. It rose, however, in balance Luzon from 9.3 percent to 18 percent; in the Visayas, from 10.7 percent to 17.3 percent; and in Mindanao from 17 percent to 19.7 percent.

Severe hunger rose in all areas: in Mindanao, from a record-low 0.7 percent to 2.3 percent; in balance Luzon, from 2.7 percent to 4.3 percent; in the Visayas, from 1.7 percent to 4.3 percent; and in Metro Manila, from 4.3 percent to 5.7 percent.

Thus hunger declined in Metro Manila because the six-point decline in moderate hunger outweighed the one-point increase in severe hunger,” SWS said.


Posted by News Team | Filed Under Articles/Stories 

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