AT least 2.9 million Filipino families experienced involuntary hunger in the second quarter of the year, down from 3.1 million families in the first quarter, the June 26 to 29 survey of the Social Weather Stations (SWS) showed.
The survey, which involved 1,500 adult respondents nationwide with a margin of error of ±2.5 percent, showed that 11.6 percent of families (estimated 2.9 million) experienced involuntary hunger or did not have anything to eat at least once in the past three months, down by 0.6 points from the 12.2 percent (estimated 3.1 million families) in April.
This is two points lower than the 13.6 percent (estimated 3.4 million families) recorded in June 2021 but higher than the June 2019 pre-pandemic level of 10 percent (2.5 million).
SWS said the 11.6 percent hunger rate is composed of 9.4 percent (estimated 2.4 million families) who experienced “Moderate Hunger” and 2.1 percent (estimated 546,000 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.
SWS attributed the latest self-rated hunger rating to the 2.1 to 3.9-point drop in ratings in the Visayas with 5.7 percent (estimated 272,000 families) down from 7.8 percent, and Metro Manila with 14.7 percent (estimated 501,000 families) down from 18.6 percent.
The self-rated hunger in Mindanao is statistically unchanged at 14 percent (estimated 816,000 families) from 13.1 percent and in Luzon to 11.9 percent (from 11.7 percent).
