About 3.8 million Filipino families experienced involuntary hunger in the past three months, hitting a new record-high of 21.5 percent, the Social Weather Stations (SWS) reported yesterday.

The new household hunger score is almost 10 points above the 11.8 percent average in 38 quarterly SWS surveys from mid-1998 to the present, SWS said in its latest survey.

But while hunger incidence rose in the balance of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, it declined in Metro Manila, SWS said.

The independent pollster said that after a short-lived decline for one quarter, families experiencing food shortage in the past three months rose to 21.5 percent from 19 percent in November 2006 and February 2007.

The Sept. 2 - 5 SWS survey used face-to-face interviews with 1,200 statistically representative household heads – 300 each in Metro Manila, the balance of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

The national deterioration was due to new record highs of 22.3 percent in the rest of Luzon, and 21.7 percent in the Visayas, the pollster said.

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

Moderate hunger, or hunger experienced “only once” or “a few times” in the last three months, rose to a record high 17.4 percent in September from 12.5 percent in June.

“This category also includes a few who did not state their frequency of hunger,” the survey firm said.On the other hand, “severe hunger,” referring to those who experienced it “often” or “always” in the last three months, went up to 4.1 percent in September from 2.2 percent in June.

The SWS said the record high level of severe hunger in the SWS surveys was six percent in March 2001. It previously reached five percent or more in November 1998, March 2000 and July 2000.

Between June and September 2007, overall hunger rose by 10 points in the rest of Luzon from 12 percent to a record-high 22.3 percent, and by nine points in the Visayas, from 12.3 percent to a record-high 21.7 percent.

It also rose by four points in Mindanao, from 17.7 percent to 22 percent.SWS said overall hunger in Metro Manila declined by four points, from its record-high of 22 percent in June to 17.7 percent in September, returning to its levels in 2006.Moderate hunger declined in Metro Manila from 17.7 percent to 12 percent.

It rose, however, in balance Luzon from 9.3 percent to 18 percent; in the Visayas, from 10.7 percent to 17.3 percent; and in Mindanao from 17 percent to 19.7 percent.Severe hunger rose in all areas: in Mindanao, from a record-low 0.7 percent to 2.3 percent; in balance Luzon, from 2.7 percent to 4.3 percent; in the Visayas, from 1.7 percent to 4.3 percent; and in Metro Manila, from 4.3 percent to 5.7 percent.

“Thus hunger declined in Metro Manila because the six-point decline in moderate hunger outweighed the one-point increase in severe hunger,” SWS said.  

SOURCE: Philippine Star by Helen Flores