The number of Filipinos who experienced hunger after Metro Manila and wide areas of Luzon were battered by storms “Ondoy” and “Pepeng,” increased to 3.5 million families a special survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) showed.

The nationwide survey conducted from October 24 to 27 among 1,200 respondents found that 300,000 more Filipino families have experienced hunger after storms Ondoy (“Ketsana”) and Pepeng (“Parma”) inundated Metro Manila and Luzon.

The SWS survey questions on household hunger were directed to the household head, using the phrase “nakaranas ng gutom at wala kayong makain (experienced hunger, and did not have anything to eat).”

A preceding survey conducted from September 18 to 21 shortly before the storms struck showed that hunger among Filipinos had eased to 17.5 percent, or an estimated 3.2 million families, from July to September from 3.7 million families in June.

However, the latest figure showed an increase of 18.9 percent in the number of Filipinos who experienced hunger after the calamities.

SWS said the latest figure is more pronounced in areas in Luzon outside of Metro Manila.

It said the 1.3-point rise in overall hunger in just over a month resulted from a 0.5-point increase in moderate hunger, combined with a 0.8-point increase in severe hunger.

Moderate hunger, referring to those who experienced it ‘only once’ or ‘a few times’ in the last three months, went from 14.5 percent or an estimated 2.7 million families in September to 15 percent or some 2.8 million families in October.

Meanwhile, severe hunger, referring to those who experienced it ‘often’ or ‘always’ in the last three months, went from 3 percent (estimated 550,000 families) in September to 3.8 percent (estimated 700,000 families) in October.

With regard to regional areas, overall hunger rose by almost six points in Luzon outside of Metro Manila, from 13.5 percent (estimated 1.1 million families) in September to 19.3 percent (estimated 1.6 million families).

It also rose by more than one point in the Visayas, from 19 percent (estimated 700,000 families) to 20.3 percent (estimated 750,000 families).

Meanwhile, it declined by almost nine points in Metro Manila, from 24.7 percent (estimated 600,000 families) to 16 percent (estimated 390,000 families), and by almost two points in Mindanao, from 19.7 percent (estimated 800,000 families) to 18 percent (estimated 760,000 families).

Moderate hunger increased by four points in the rest of Luzon, from 11.3 percent in September to 15.3 percent in October, and by more than half a percentage point in the Visayas, from 16.1 to 16.7 percent.

It declined by almost eight points in Metro Manila, from 19 to 11.3 percent, and by almost two points in Mindanao, from 16.7 to 15 percent.

Meanwhile, severe hunger increased by almost two points in the rest of Luzon, from 2.2 percent in September to 4 percent in October, and by almost one point in the Visayas, from 2.9 to 3.7 percent at present.

It declined by one point in Metro Manila, from 5.7 to 4.7 percent, while it stayed at 3 percent in Mindanao.

The SWS survey used face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults with sampling error margins of ±3 for national percentages, and ±6 percent for area percentages.