About 700,000 more Filipino families experienced hunger in the last three months, taking the total to 3.1 million families facing food crisis during the last quarter of 2016, a survey by Social Weather Stations (SWS) has shown.
A total of 10.9 percent (or an estimated 2.5 million families) experienced “moderate hunger,” while 3 percent (an estimated 673,000 families) experienced “severe hunger” – resulting in a hunger rate of 13.9 percent, Malaya quoted the survey.
SWS defines moderate hunger as those who experienced hunger only once or a few times in the last three months, while severe hunger refers to those who experienced hunger often or always in the last three months, the report said.
Geographically speaking, there were more hungry households in the Visayas, where the hunger rate rose to 16.7 percent (est. 724,000 families) from 13 percent, said the news portal.
The second highest hunger rate was recorded in Luzon with 15 percent or an estimated 1.5 million families (from 11.7 percent in September).
It is followed by Metro Manila, which had the highest increase of 5.7 percentage points, or to 13 percent (est. 399,000 families), from 7.3 percent.
Hunger also reportedly went up in Mindanao to 10 percent or an estimated 515,000 families (up from 8.3 percent).
Presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said the latest results are a “gentle reminder” that the government needs to continue to work double time to implement socio-economic reforms.
The spike was also influenced by the food price inflation that was triggered by the weather disturbances that happened before the survey was conducted, and the seasonal demand of food items during the Christmas holidays, Malaya quoted Abella as saying.
