December 20 ------ Average hunger for this year has reached a new record, while an estimated four million Filipino families experienced involuntary hunger in the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey. The nationwide survey done face to face among 1,500 respondents from November 21-25 found that 16.0 percent or an estimated four million families experienced involuntary hunger – hunger due to lack of food to eat – at least once in the past three months.
“The November 2020 Hunger rate is 15 points below the record-high 30.7 percent (est. 7.6 million families) in September 2020. Nevertheless, it is double the pre-pandemic 8.8 percent (est. 2.1 million families) of families in December 2019,” SWS said. SWS noted that average hunger for the full year is a new record at 21.1 percent. “With hunger at 16.7 percent in May, 20.9 percent in July, and 30.7 percent in September, the average hunger rate for the full-year 2020 is a new record 21.1 percent of families. It surpasses the previous record of 19.9 percent in 2011 and 2012, and is double the average 9.3 percent for 2019,” SWS said.
SWS found that Metro Manila now has the highest incidence of Hunger at 23.3 percent or an estimated 780,000 families, followed by Mindanao at 16.0 percent or an estimated 909,000 families, Balance Luzon at 14.4 percent or an estimated 1.6 million families, and the Visayas at 14.3 percent or an estimated 674,000 families. In September 2020, Hunger was at 40.7 percent or an estimated 1.9 million families in the Visayas, 37.5 percent or an estimated 2.1 million families in Mindanao, 28.2 percent or an estimated 941,000 families in Metro Manila, and 23.8 percent or an estimated 2.6 million families in Balance Luzon.
November’s 16.0 percent hunger rate is the result of the 12.6 percent or an estimated 3.1 million families who experienced Moderate Hunger and 3.4 percent or an estimated 838,000 families who experienced Severe Hunger. According to the SWS, Moderate Hunger refers to those who experienced hunger “Only Once” or “A Few Times” in the last three months. Meanwhile, Severe Hunger refers to those who experienced it “Often” or “Always” in the last three months. Nationwide, Moderate Hunger and Severe Hunger are 12.6 percent and 3.4 percent, respectively, in November 2020 compared to 22.0 percent and 8.7 percent in September 2020.
SWS also mentioned that overall Hunger also rose among the Self-Rated Food-Poor, up from 15.5 percent in December 2019 to 28.1 percent in November 2020. It rose among the Non-Food-Poor [Not Food-Poor plus Borderline Food-Poor], up from 5.1 percent to 10.5 percent.
Source: mb.com.ph
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