SWS: Hunger incidence down except in Metro Manila

Hunger incidence in the country went down from 19 to 14.7 percent in the past three months, except in Metro Manila, the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showed.

“This is a substantial improvement, but is still three points above the 11.6 percent average percentage of hunger in 37 quarterly SWS surveys from mid-1998 to the present,” the SWS said.

The survey was conducted from June 27 to 30 using face-to-face interviews of 1,200 statistically representative household heads (300 each in Metro Manila, the balance of Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao).

The SWS said hunger incidence declined in all areas except in Metro Manila, where it reached a new record-high of 22 percent.

The SWS said the fall in the national percentage was due to large drops in the balance of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

“Hunger is defined as involuntary if undergone without the option of having something to eat. The national proportion of 14.7 percent is equivalent to about 2.6 million households,” SWS said.

Moderate Hunger, which refers to those who experienced it “Only Once” or “A Few Times” in the last three months, fell from 15 percent in February to 12.5 percent in June, the survey firm said. This category also includes those who did not state their frequency of hunger.

Severe Hunger, which refers to those who experienced it “Often” or “Always” in the last three months, went down by almost half – from four percent to 2.2 percent. Severe Hunger declined in all areas, and was only 0.7 percent in Mindanao, equaling a record-low first set in 1999, the SWS said.

Hunger in Metro Manila went up from 20.7 percent in February to a new record-high of 22 percent in June, surpassing the previous record of 21 percent in December 2005.

Between February and June 2007, hunger declined by six points in the rest of Luzon, from 18.3 percent to 12 percent; by five points in Mindanao, from 22.7 percent to 17.7 percent; and by three points in the Visayas, from 15.3 percent to 12.3 percent.

Moderate Hunger declined in Luzon outside Metro Manila, from 14.3 percent to 9.3 percent; in the Visayas, from 12.7 percent to 10.7 percent; and in Mindanao, from 18 percent to 17 percent. However, it rose in Metro Manila, from 15.7 percent to 17.7 percent.

Severe Hunger fell dramatically in Mindanao, from 4.7 percent to 0.7 percent, tying the record-low first set in October 1999. It declined in Luzon outside Metro Manila, from four percent to 2.7 percent; in the Visayas, from 2.7 percent to 1.7 percent; and in Metro Manila, from five percent to 4.3 percent.

“Thus, hunger rose in Metro Manila because the two-point increase in Moderate Hunger outweighed the 0.7 point decrease in Severe Hunger,” the SWS explained.

The SWS said survey questions about household hunger are directed to the household head. By using the phrase “nakaranas ng gutom (experienced hunger) at wala kayong makain” (did not have anything to eat), the hunger item specifically refers to involuntary suffering.