NextGen Day

MANILA – Malacanang promised on Saturday that the government would increase its efforts to address the country’s hunger problem.

This follows the findings of a poll conducted by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) from December 12 to 16, 2021, which indicated that 11.8 percent of Filipino households, or around three million people, suffered “involuntary” hunger owing to a lack of food from October to December 2021.

“In a press statement, acting Presidential Spokesperson and Communications Secretary Martin Andanar remarked, “We take note of the recent Social Weather Stations’ poll.” “This figure is lower than the 16% of families who experienced the same thing in the fourth quarter of 2020.”

According to the SWS survey, the number of Filipino homes experiencing hunger in the third quarter of 2021 was higher than the 10% or an estimated 2.5 million families reported in September 2021.

However, the newest hunger rate is still lower than what was reported in May 2021 (16.8%) and June 2021 (13.6%), according to the SWS.

“With the exception of Balance Luzon, the 1.8-[percentage] point increase in Overall Hunger between September 2021 and December 2021 is due to rises in all regions,” it continued.

According to the SWS, Metro Manila has the highest hunger rate in the country, with 22.8 percent of the population, or 770,000 families, going hungry. The figure was higher than the 14%, or 473,000 households, who were hungry in Metro Manila in the third quarter of 2021.

“According to the SWS study, “it has been the worst in Metro Manila in 22 out of 96 surveys since July 1998.”

Following Metro Manila were Mindanao (12.2%, or an estimated 703,000 families, up from 10.3%, or an estimated 595,000 families), the Visayas (9.7%, or an estimated 462,000 families, up from 6%, or an estimated 285,000 families), and Balance Luzon (9.7%, or an estimated 462,000 families, respectively (9.2 percent or an estimated 1 million families from 10.3 percent or an estimated 1.2 million families).

Nonetheless, Andanar said the latest hunger rate was “strong evidence of the beneficial impact of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) programs on Zero Hunger.”

However, Andanar admitted that the government must continue to work overtime to assist Filipinos who are hungry.

“We have accomplished much during this difficult period,” he remarked, “but we must continue to do much more to alleviate hunger and poverty.”

The IATF on Zero Hunger was established by Duterte’s Executive Order 101 in January 2020, and its mission is to ensure that government policies, programs, and projects aimed at achieving zero hunger are “coordinated, responsive, and successful.”

The task force’s initiatives, according to Andanar, include the establishment of the Enhanced Partnership Against Hunger and Poverty; pilot feeding programs under the First 1000 Days of Life; the launch of Pilipinas Kontra Gutom; the formulation of the Philippine Multi-sectoral Nutrition Project Proposal for the World Bank; Gulayan sa Barangay at sa Pamayanan programs; and various livelihood projects aimed at improving the lives of farmers and fishermen.

According to the SWS, the overall hunger rate is made up of 9.2 percent, or 2.3 million households, who suffered “moderate” hunger, and 2.6 percent, or 657,000 families, who experienced “severe” hunger.

With sample error margins of 2.6 percentage points for national percentages and 5.2 percentage points for Balance Luzon, Metro Manila, the Visayas, and Mindanao, the SWS interviewed 1,440 adult Filipinos.

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