Hunger incidence down to 15.5%

MANILA, Philippines - Hunger incidence in the country has gone down, with the number of Filipino families who experienced involuntary hunger at least once in the past three months going down to 15.5 percent from a record-high 23.7 percent in the previous quarter, the Social Weather Stations (SWS) reported yesterday.

The First Quarter 2009 Social Weather Survey, fielded from Feb. 20 to 23, found that hunger incidence in the country eased to 15.5 percent (about 2.9 million families) from 23.7 percent (estimated 4.3 million families) in December 2008.

SWS said the latest figure on Hunger is similar to the level of March 2008 and is just three points above the 10-year average of 12.6 percent.

It said Hunger has consistently been at double-digits for over four years now, since June 2004.

The measure of Hunger refers to involuntary suffering because the respondents answer a survey question that specifies hunger due to lack of anything to eat, the SWS said.

SWS explained that the eight-point decline in Overall Hunger between December 2008 and February 2009 resulted from a seven-point decline in Moderate Hunger, combined with a one-point decline in Severe Hunger.

Moderate Hunger, referring to those who experienced it “Only Once” or “A Few Times” in the last three months, went from a record-high 18.5 percent or about 3.3 million families in December to 11.1 percent or an estimated two million families in February.

“The new score is just two points above the 10-year average Moderate Hunger rate of 9.3 percent. The few who did not state their frequency of Hunger were also placed in this category,” the SWS said.

Severe Hunger, referring to those who experienced it “Often” or “Always” in the last three months, went from 5.2 percent (about 940,000 families) in December to 4.4 percent (estimated 810,000 families) in February. The new rate is just a point above the 10-year average Severe Hunger rate of 3.4 percent, it said.

The latest survey showed that Overall Hunger is now lowest in Mindanao as it declined by 22 points from a record-high 33.7 percent (estimated 1.4 million families) in December to 11.7 percent (estimated 490,000 families) in February.

It declined by six points in Metro Manila, from record-high 23.3 percent (estimated 570,000 families) to 17.3 percent (estimated 430,000 families); by five points in balance Luzon, from 20 percent (estimated 1.6 million families) to 15 percent (estimated 1.2 million families); and by one point in the Visayas, from 20.7 percent (estimated 750,000 families) to 19.7 percent (estimated 730,000 families).

Moderate Hunger declined by 18 points in Mindanao, from a record-high 27.7 percent in the previous quarter to 9.7 percent now.

It went down by seven points in Metro Manila, from 18.3 percent to 11.7 percent; by five points in the Visayas, from 18 percent to 13.3 percent; and by three points in balance Luzon, from 14 percent to 10.7 percent.

SWS said that the latest Moderate Hunger rates remain higher than their 10-year averages for all areas except Mindanao, where its latest score of 9.7 percent is slightly lower than its 10-year average of 10.2 percent.

Meanwhile, Severe Hunger declined by four points in Mindanao, from six percent in December to two percent in February; and by two points in balance Luzon, from six percent to 4.3 percent.

However, it rose by almost four points in the Visayas, from 2.7 percent in the previous quarter to 6.3 percent now; and by about one point in Metro Manila, from five percent to 5.7 percent.

Except in Mindanao where the latest score of two percent is lower than its 10-year average of 4.5 percent, the new Severe Hunger rates remain higher than their 10-year averages for the rest of the areas, the SWS said.

SWS said the survey questions about household hunger are directed to the household head, using the phrase “nakaranas ng gutom at wala kayong makain” or “experienced hunger, and did not have anything to eat.”

The non-commissioned survey used face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults divided into random samples of 300 each in Metro Manila, balance Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

It has a sampling error margin of plus or minus six percent.

Malacañang, for its part, welcomed the results of the SWS survey on hunger incidence as a clear indication that the programs of the Arroyo administration to address poverty and hunger are working.

Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said that the Palace does not mind that President Arroyo is not getting any credit for the programs she is implementing to address poverty as long as the people see the results.

“We are happy and inspired by this because this can only mean one thing – that even though President Arroyo was not given any credit because her approval rating went down during the same period, at least her programs aimed at easing hunger were successful,” Remonde said in Filipino.

Remonde cited the “targeted programs” of the government including the food-for-school, food-for-work, microfinancing for livelihood projects, gulayan sa masa, bagsakan ng bayan and tindahan natin among the programs being implemented to address poverty.

He also noted that the government has implemented a new feeding program where the Catholic Church is involved.

“So the targeted program, which is meant to help the poorest of the poor, seems to have really been working. So it is very inspiring and because of this, we will work even harder to implement these programs,” Remonde said.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Lorelei Fajardo said that the decline in hunger incidence is a result of the Arroyo administration’s effort to intensify its anti-hunger programs.

Fajardo pointed out that the programs are being implemented by the Anti-Hunger Task Force led by the National Nutrition Council chairman and Health Secretary Francisco Duque III.

One of the programs being implemented is the accelerated hunger mitigation program or AHMP which is targeted at the most vulnerable and the poor.

“The AHMP addresses both the aspects of supply or the unavailability or the insufficiency of food to eat and the demand or inability to buy food,” Fajardo said.

“So we are pleased to know this and this will serve as an inspiration to all of us in the government to pursue our efforts, especially in the implementation of the pro-poor programs of President Arroyo,” she added.