By Darwin G. Amojelar, Reporter
The Manila Times
November 4, 2008

The Philippines ranked fifth in a recent global hunger survey, with four in 10 poor Filipinos going hungry in the last 12 months.

In its “Voice of the People” survey, Gallup International said 40 percent of the Filipino respondents were found to have experienced an empty stomach in late 2007 to the present.

The country landed in fifth place out of the 55 countries world­wide surveyed.

The Gallup poll interviewed more than 58,600 people between June and early September 2008, and the survey represented the views of more than 1.5 billion global citizens.

During the global survey period, inflation in the Philippines surged to double digits, averaging 12.03 percent from June to September.

An earlier survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) revealed that 3.3 million Filipino families were suffering from hunger in the last three quarters. The survey was conducted from September 24 to 27, 2008.

The SWS said incidence of moderate hunger, which refers to hunger experienced only once or a few times in the last three months, increased from 12.1 percent or 2.2 million families in June to 15.2 percent or 2.7 million families in September.

Severe hunger, which refers to that experienced often or always in the covered period, decreased from 4.2 percent or about 760,000 families in June to 3.2 percent or about 580,000 families in September.

The SWS survey also found that the hunger rate is highest in Metro Manila with 560,000 and lowest in the Visayas, 420,000 families.

Poverty at 32.9 percent

The National Statistics Coordination Board also earlier reported that the number of poor Filipinos in 2006 stood at 27.6 million or 32.9 percent of the population.

The 2006 figure represented an increase of almost 4 million, compared to 2003 levels when the number of poor Filipinos stood at 23.8 million.

The government had said that it aims to reduce poverty incidence to between 17 percent and 20 percent by 2010.

The Gallup International survey said 55 percent of respondents in Cameroon have suffered hunger, followed by Pakistan with 53 percent and Nigeria, 48 percent.

The poll also found that one-third of the population has not had enough to eat in Bolivia and Guatemala, both with 35 percent, and Ghana, 32 percent.

Twenty-three percent of the respondents in Mexico and Russia declared lacking food often or sometimes in the last 12 months.

Meril James, the secretary-general of Gallup International, said, “It is shocking to see that still so many people don’t have enough to eat even in the most developed regions.”

Two in 10 of the world citizens surveyed or 19 percent declared to have lacked food often or sometimes in the last 12 months.

Gallup International is registered in Zurich as a verein (association). It was established in 1947 and currently has member-agencies in 65 countries, conducting market and opinion research in more than 100 countries.

Business World
10/19/08

Full report available at http://www.sws.org.ph

SOME 3.3 MILLION FAMILIES experienced not having anything to eat in the last three months as hunger continued to gain among Filipino households, the Social Weather Stations (SWS) said.

At 18.4% in September, the independent survey research institution’s measure is now six points above a 10-year hunger average of 12.3%. The latest figure was also the highest in four quarters since September 2007’s record 21.5%.

The SWS said it was due to an increase in moderate hunger — referring to those who had nothing to eat at least “once” or “a few times” in the last three months — which outweighed a drop in severe hunger (going hungry “often” or “always”).

A government official attributed the results to rising prices of commodities as well as the impact of recent typhoons. An economist, meanwhile, said the government needed to create new jobs and focus its social programs.

The SWS, in face-to-face interviews conducted over September 24 to 27, asked 1,500 household heads nationwide: “Nitong nakaraang tatlong buwan, nang-yari po ba kahit minsan na ang inyong pamilya ay nakaranas ng gutom at wala kayong makain? Kung oo: nangyari po ba ‘yan ng minsan lamang, mga ilang beses, madalas, o palagi? (In the past three months, was there an instance when your family experienced hunger or had nothing to eat? If yes, did it happen only once, a few times, often, or always?)”

Respondents were divided into random samples of 300 each in Metro Manila, Visayas, and Mindanao; and 600 in the rest of Luzon. The sampling error margins were ±2.5% for national percentages; ±6% for Metro Manila, Visayas, and Mindanao; and ±4% for the Balance of Luzon.

Total hunger went up two points from June’s 16.3%, due to moderate hunger rising to 15.2% from 12.1% previously. The moderate hunger result, which included those who did not state their frequency of hunger, is equivalent to some 2.7 million families and is six points above the ten-year average.

Severe hunger, meanwhile, fell to 3.2% (about 580,000 families) from 4.2% (about 760,000 families) in June, a rate equal to the ten-year average.

Metro Manila remained the area with the highest proportion of families which experienced hunger, at 23% (560,000 families), followed by the rest of Luzon at 20% (1.6 million families). The latter was also where hunger rose the furthest, by eight points, from June’s 12.3%. In Mindanao it was up slightly at 18.3% (750,000 families) but was down eight points in the Visayas to 11.7% (420,000 families).

Moderate hunger rose eight points to 16.5% in the rest of Luzon and by three points to 16% in Mindanao, but fell to 11.3% (down five) in the Visayas and to 15% in Metro Manila (one point).

Severe hunger, meanwhile, fell in all areas except Metro Manila.

Moderate and severe hunger remained higher than their ten-year averages, the SWS said, except for Visayas where the severe hunger average fell significantly.

Asked to comment on the latest hunger survey results, National Nutrition Council executive director Maria Bernardita T. Flores said higher commodity prices and typhoons had affected the ability of people to buy food.

“The people felt the impact of food and fuel price increases,” she said in a telephone interview.

Ms. Flores, whose agency oversees the government’s hunger mitigation program, added that recent typhoons also had an impact on supply.

“Weather disturbances such as typhoon Frank [which hit in June] may have affected the supply of food in the market … Weather affects the supply of food in the market and less supply leads to a higher price,” she said.

The government, Ms. Flores said, would have to boost spending on agriculture and infrastructure to address supply and employment issues, and push existing pro-poor programs.

“It is incumbent upon the agencies to fast track the utilization of their funding. This includes the funding for projects … [that] will improve production of food and will create jobs for the locals,” she said.

“We will also continue our interventions like the food-for-school program, the bagsakan (market points) where people can buy cheap vegetables and the Tindahan Natin where the poor can avail of lower-priced commodities…”

Rolando T. Dy, executive director of the University of Asia and the Pacific’s Center for Food and Agribusiness, said not having income security was a factor in the hunger measure.

“There are two factors that should be noted: First, the prices of food went up. Second, people will not complain if they are income secure. If you have no job and prices of food rise and you have no income security, then this will lead to hunger,” he said.

“Job creation will help provide income security. The government must make sure that its targeted rice subsidy reaches many poor people. Local governments can also do something,” Mr. Dy recommended. — from a report by Alexis Douglas B. Romero