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Thursday, November 02, 2006
Hunger stalks 2.9 million Filipinos: survey
MANILA -- Some 2.9 million households are experiencing hunger in the country and 51 percent of Filipinos consider themselves poor, according to a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey.
According to SWS, the 2.9 million out of 17.4 million households in the country amounts to 16.9 percent, matching a "record high" reached last March and September.
"These results indicate that while some families managed to cross their borderline of poverty, other families began to suffer the deep deprivation of hunger," the SWS said in a statement on its website (www.sws.org.ph).
SWS said its survey was conducted from September 24 to October 2. It also said hunger has been at double-digit levels since the second quarter of 2004.
On the other hand, it said the 51 percent who consider themselves "mahirap" (poor) was slightly down from the 59 percent in the second quarter of 2006.
Severe hunger, defined as going hungry "often" or "always" in the last three months, went up to 4.6 percent in September or some 800,000 households, from 3.4 percent in June.
Moderate hunger, defined as experienced "only once" or "a few times" in the last three months, rose to 12.3 percent, or about 2.1 million households, from 10.1 percent in the previous quarter.
The SWS said hunger declined in Metro Manila, from 15 percent in June 2006 to 12.8 percent in September.
But it rose in Mindanao, from 17.3 percent in June 2006 to 21.3 percent in September 2006; in the balance of Luzon, from 10 percent to 14.7 percent; and in the Visayas, from 17.7 percent to 19.7 percent.
Compared to June 2006, severe hunger declined in Metro Manila, from five percent to 4.6 percent, and in Mindanao, from 4.7 percent to four percent but rose in the balance of Luzon, from one percent to 4.3 percent. It stayed at six percent in the Visayas.
Moderate hunger declined in Metro Manila, from 10 percent to 8.2 percent but rose in the balance of Luzon, from 8.7 percent to 10.3 percent, in the Visayas, from 11 percent to 13.7 percent, and in Mindanao, from 12 percent to 17.3 percent.
Self-rated poverty was down in all areas except Visayas, the SWS said, noting that the ranks of the "self-rated poor" went up in the Visayas, from 59 percent to 66 percent.
It said the proportion of self-rated poor households went down in Metro Manila, from 54 percent in June 2006 to 46 percent in September 2006; in the balance of Luzon, from 59 percent to 45 percent; and in Mindanao, from 61 percent to 53 percent.
The median self-rated poverty threshold or the budget that poor households say they need to escape poverty, went down in Metro Manila, from P15,000 in June 2006 to P10,000 in September 2006, and in Mindanao, from P6,000 to P5,000.
It stayed at P6,000 in the Visayas and went up in balance of Luzon, from P5,000 to P6,000.
"Such money-value thresholds were already attained some years ago even though the cost of living increased greatly every year. Since the money-cost of living is actually rising, a declining or unchanging poverty threshold means that households are lowering their living standards, or belt-tightening," the SWS said.
The SWS also said its survey questions about household poverty and hunger were directed to the household head.
The survey used face-to-face interviews with 1,200 statistically representative households, 300 each in Metro Manila, the balance of Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao from 240 geographical spots selected from all regions.
Error margins of plus-minus three percent for national percentages and plus-minus six percent for regional percentages should be applied, it said. (JMR/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Pampanga.
(November 2, 2006 issue)
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