As President Arroyo reported on the government’s achievements, particularly on poverty alleviation, a survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) found that the number of Filipino families who are experiencing hunger increased to 3.7 million households from 2.9 million families in the past three months.

The latest SWS figures showed that the proportion of families experiencing involuntary hunger at least once in the past three months rose to 20.3 percent from 15.5 percent in the February, 2009 survey.

The SWS nationwide survey was conducted last June 19 to 22 using face-to-face interviews with 1,500 respondents.

SWS 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 new hunger figure is only three points lower than the record-high 23.7 percent or an estimated 4.3 million families recorded in December 2008.

Meanwhile, it is eight points higher than the 10-year average of 12.8 percent.

As also noted in the survey results, hunger has consistently been in double-digits for five years, since June, 2004.

SWS explained that the five-point rise in overall hunger between February and June, 2009 resulted from a five-point increase in the percentage of Filipinos who experienced moderate hunger in the past three months.

Moderate hunger refers to those who experienced it “only once” or “a few times” in the last three months.

It went from 11.1 percent or an estimated two million families in February to 16 percent or 2.9 million families in June.

SWS said the new figure is seven points above the 10-year average of moderate hunger rate of 9.4 percent.

“The few who did not state their frequency of hunger were also placed in this category,” SWS pointed out.

With regard to severe hunger, referring to those who experienced it “often” or “always” in the last three months, it went from 4.4 percent or 810,000 families in February to 4.3 percent or 790,000 families in June.

The new rate is just a point above the 10-year average of severe hunger rate of 3.4 percent.

As further pointed out in the survey, overall hunger is again highest in Mindanao as it rose sharply by 18 points from 11.7 percent or an estimated 490,000 families in February to 30 percent or an estimated 1.3 million families in June 2009.

Likewise, it rose by five points in Metro Manila, from 17.3 percent (estimated 430,000 families) to 22.3 percent (estimated 550,000 families), and by one point in the Visayas, from 19.7 percent (estimated 730,000 families) to 21 percent (estimated 775,000 families).

SWS noted that overall hunger barely dropped in the rest of Luzon, from 15 percent to 14.3 percent (estimated 1.2 million families).

For moderate hunger in Mindanao, it rose by 16 points from 9.7 percent in the previous quarter to 25.3 percent at present, which is just three points below the record-high 27.7 percent in December 2008.

It also rose by five points in the Visayas, from 13.3 percent to 18.7 percent, and by four points in Metro Manila, from 11.7 percent to 15.3 percent.

It hardly moved in the rest of Luzon, from 10.7 percent to 10.2 percent.

SWS noted that the new moderate hunger figures remain significantly higher than their 10-year averages for all areas except in the rest of Luzon, where its latest score of 10.2 percent is just one point higher than its 10-year average of 9.2 percent.

Severe hunger, meanwhile, rose by three points in Mindanao, from 2 percent in February to 4.7 percent in June, and by one point in Metro Manila, from 5.7 percent to 7 percent.

It declined by four points in the Visayas, from 6.3 percent in the previous quarter to 2.3 percent at present.

It barely declined in the rest of Luzon from 4.3 percent to 4.2 percent.

The latest severe hunger rate in the Visayas of 2.3 percent is a point lower than its 10-year average of 3.1 percent, while it is almost equal in Mindanao, at 4.7 percent, compared to its 10-year average of 4.5 percent.

The severe hunger rates for Metro Manila and Balance Luzon remain higher than their 10-year averages.

The survey has sampling error margins of ±3 percent for national percentages, ±6 percent for Metro Manila, Visayas, and Mindanao, and ±4 percent for Balance Luzon.