(Malnutrition/hunger. Stock photo from INQUIRER)
MANILA, Philippines – A Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showed that the number of Filipino families that experienced involuntary hunger at least once in the last three months dropped to 9.8 percent in September 2023.
This figure is lower than the 10.4% reported in June 2023.
It also remained consistent with the data recorded in March of the same year.
The involuntary hunger rate refers to the percentage of Filipino families who have experienced hunger or have had nothing to eat at least once in the last three months.
The pollster reported that in September 2023, hunger declined in the Visayas and “Balance Luzon” (or areas of Luzon near metro Manila).
However, the numbers increased slightly in Metro Manila and Mindanao.
The incidence of hunger was highest in Metro Manila at 17.3 percent, followed by Balance Luzon at 10.3 percent and both Visayas and Mindanao at 6.7 percent.
“The hunger rate of 9.8% in September 2023 is the sum of 8.4% who experienced moderate hunger and 1.3% who experienced severe hunger,” the pollster said.
SWS explained that families in the “moderate hunger” category had experienced hunger “only once” or “several times” in the last three months.
“Severe hunger” refers to people who have consistently struggled with it “often” or “always” over the same period.
SWS also found that the overall hunger rate fell among people who rated themselves as poor, from 10.8% in June 2023 to 7.7% in September 2023.
Hunger also decreased among people who considered themselves “food poor” – from 9.4% to 7% over the same period.
The survey was conducted from September 28 to October 1 through face-to-face interviews with 1,200 adults in Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
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The survey’s sampling error margins are ±2.8% for national percentages and ±5.7% for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
