MALACANANG yesterday said the latest hunger rate, which affected more than five million Filipino families nationwide, underscores the importance of reopening the economy and sustaining the livelihood opportunities of the people amid the coronavirus disease pandemic.
The July 3 to 6 mobile survey of the Social Weather Stations (SWS) showed that 20.9 percent of the population or an estimated 5.2 million Filipino families experienced involuntary hunger or hunger due to lack of food to eat at least once in the past three months, higher than the 16.7 percent recorded in May 2020.
SWS said the rate was highest in the Visayas at 27.2 percent (estimated 1.3 million families), followed by those in Mindanao at 24.2 percent (estimated 1.4 million families), Luzon at 17.8 percent (estimated 2 million families), and Metro Manila at 16.3 percent (estimated 546,000 families).
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said Malacanang is saddened by the results of the survey that reflected the situation in the country where many areas are still under general community quarantine, modified general community quarantine or enhanced community quarantine.
“Many lost their jobs during the pandemic. The resumption of public transportation was calibrated and phased. The economy had only started to open. These factors contributed to the respondents saying they experienced hunger. This is particularly true to the Visayas where hunger incidence… After all, some areas in Cebu province were then under enhanced community quarantine, which is the highest restriction level placed by the national government,” Roque said.
Roque urged the people to do their share in keeping the economy open and in following health protocols.
“We therefore call on our citizens that in order to save the economy and people’s jobs, we first have to save lives by ramping up testing for COVID-19 and observing the minimum public health standards by wearing masks, washing hands and keeping a safe distance,” he said.
President Duterte had retained QGC for Metro Manila, several regions, cities and provinces from July 16 to 31 and downgraded Cebu City to the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ).
Other areas still under GCQ are the provinces of Laguna, Cavite, Rizal, Southern Leyte, Agusan del Norte and Basilan; the cities of Lapu-Lapu, Mandaue, Ormoc, Zamboanga, Butuan, and Talisay; and towns of Minglanilla and Concepcion in Cebu province.
