INVOLUNTARY HUNGER among Filipino families in June was little-changed at 10.0% from 9.5% in March to 10.0%, according to the Social Weather Stations (SWS), stalling a downtrend in recent quarters in a result that fell within the SWS study’s margin of error.
In its Second Quarter 2019 Social Weather Survey, SWS reported that “10.0% or an estimated 2.5 million families experienced involuntary hunger at least once in the past three months.” This 10.0% consists of 8.7% or 2.1 million families who experienced ‘Moderate Hunger’ and 1.3% or 320,000 families who experienced ‘Severe Hunger.’“
The SWS added that this is higher than the 2.3 million families or 9.5% who reported Hunger in the March quarter.
“The rise in the nationwide Hunger rate comes after a decrease of 3.8 percentage points within the previous three quarters. From 13.3% (est. 3.1 million families) in September 2018, it subsided to 10.5% (est. 2.4 million families) in December, and then to 9.5% (est. 2.3 million) in March 2019,” SWS reported.
SWS reported the sampling error margin was plus or minus 3% on national results and plus or minus 6% for regional findings.
The non-commissioned survey was conducted on 1,200 adults across the country. SWS classifies people in the “moderate hunger” category if they experienced involuntary hunger once or a few times in the past three months and defined “severe hunger” as involuntary hunger experienced often or always during the same period.
“The moderate hunger rate increased by 0.6 points, from 8.1% (est. 2 million families) in March 2019, to 8.7% in June. Severe Hunger, meanwhile, remained at 1.3% in June as in March (est. 320,000 families),” SWS reported.
The hunger rate for families who self-rate as poor rose by 4.3 points to 16.2% or 1.8 million families, from 11.9% or 1.1 million families in the quarter ending March.
The hunger rate of those who self-rated as food-poor was 17.3% or 1.5 million families in the June quarter, against 14.2% or 959,000 families a quarter earlier. — Gillian M. Cortez
