THE number of Filipino families who experienced involuntary hunger grew by 11.8 percent or an estimated 2.7 million families at least once in the past three months, the latest Social Weather Stations survey revealed.
The latest figure is 2.3 points above the 9.5 percent, or an estimated 2.2 million families who said that they experienced involuntary hunger in June 2017.
Of this number, some 9.6 percent or an estimated 2.2 million families experienced “Moderate Hunger” while 2.1 percent or an estimated 493,000 families experienced “Severe Hunger.”
Moderate hunger is defined by SWS as involuntary hunger experienced “only once” or “a few times” in the last three months while severe hunger refers to those who experience hunger “often” or “always” for the same period.
Across regions, those who experienced involuntary hunger rose in all areas, except in Mindanao.
In Metro Manila, quarterly hunger rose by 0.4 points in Metro Manila, from 11.3 percent (est. 353,000 families) in June 2017 to 11.7 percent in September 2017.
In Balance Luzon, quarterly Hunger also rose by 5.5 points from 8.3 percent (est. 645,000 families) in June to 13.8 percent in September.
In the Visayas, quarterly hunger rose by 1 point from 8.7 percent (est. 324,000 families) in June to 9.7 percent in September.
The situation in Mindanao differed, with quarterly hunger rates falling by 1.7 points in Mindanao, from 11.3 percent (est. 523,000 families) to 9.7 percent in September.
The Third Quarter 2017 Social Weather Survey, conducted from September 23-27, 2017, had sampling error margins of ±2.5 percent for national percentages.
Annual hunger rates, or the annual averages, have a sampling error margin of ±1.5 percent, the pollster said.
