More households go hungry in Q2

MANILA, Philippines — Hunger among Filipino families worsened in the second quarter of the year, with about two million households experiencing involuntary hunger, according to the latest survey by Social Weather Stations (SWS).

The poll, conducted from June 22 to 26, found 10 percent or an estimated 2.5 million families who claimed they have experienced “involuntary hunger” or having nothing to eat at least once in the past three months.

This was slightly higher than the 9.5 percent (around 2.3 million families) in March 2019.

The 10 percent national hunger rate in June is composed of 8.7 percent (estimated 2.1 million families) who experienced “moderate hunger” and 1.3 percent (about 320,000 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.

Those who experienced moderate hunger increased from 8.1 percent (about two million families) in March 2019 to 8.7 percent or around 2.1 million in June. 

Severe hunger, meanwhile, remained at 1.3 percent in June as in March, estimated at 320,000 families.

Moderate hunger in Metro Manila went up by 4.3 points, from 9.4 percent to 13.7 percent in June. Meanwhile, severe hunger went down by 0.2 points, from 2.2 percent in March to two percent in June.

Despite dropping a point in hunger incidence, hunger was most pronounced in balance Luzon where 9.3 percent or one million households went hungry in June.

In the Visayas, hunger fell by 1.3 points from 10 percent (around 472,000 families) in March to 8.7 percent (about 409,000 families) in June. 

In Mindanao, it rose by 2.9 points, from 6.1 percent (estimated 345,000 families) in March to nine percent (about 508,000 families) in June. 

The survey used face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults, 18 years old and above, nationwide.  

Its sampling error margins of plus or minus three percentage points for national percentages, and six percentage points each for Metro Manila, balance Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao.