PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte's economic team is working to address the rising hunger incidence in the country, Malacañang said on Tuesday, July 23.
In a press conference, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said the President was aware of the poor families' situation and wanted his economic advisers to look for ways to bring down the hunger incidence rate.
"Doon sa Sona (State of the Nation address) niya, 'di ba sinasabi niya ito ang problema natin, may anim na milyong Filipinos ang nasa poverty line, kailangan gawan natin ng paraan (During his Sona, he is saying that our problem is we have six million Filipinos who are on the poverty line and it needs to be addressed)," he said.
"In other words, in-acknowledge niya (he acknowledged it). That's why our economic managers are doing something," Panelo added.
Panelo's statement was in response to the Social Weather Stations' survey from June 22 to 26, which showed that Filipino families experiencing "involuntary" hunger rose to 10 percent or an estimated 2.5 million in the second quarter of 2019.
The latest hunger incidence rate was "slightly higher" than the 9.5 percent or estimated 2.3 million Filipino families in March 2019, the SWS noted.
During his fourth Sona, the President vowed to push for measures aimed at improving the lives of the poor.
Duterte made the promise as he noted that there are six million Filipinos who need to be "pull[ed] out from poverty." (SunStar Philippines)