2nd quarter hunger lowest in 10 years
July 29, 2015 at 10:51
2nd quarter hunger lowest in 10 years
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Posted on July 19, 2015 10:09:00 PM
HUNGER in the country eased further last quarter to its lowest point in a decade — though hardly changed from March particularly as a significant increase in Metro Manila was barely offset by a slight improvement in the rest of Luzon, according to a new report of the Social Weather Stations (SWS).
June’s 12.7% total hunger rate is the sum of 10.8% (or an estimated 2.4 million families) who experienced “moderate hunger” (referring to the experience of hunger “only once” or “a few times” in the last three months) and 1.9% (431,000 families) who experienced “severe hunger” (“often” or “always” in the last three months.)
SWS noted that both “moderate” and “severe” hunger eased just slightly between March and June.
By geographic area, hunger last month was most pronounced in Metro Manila, where it increased by 5.6 points to 18.3% (estimated 553,000 families) — the highest in three quarters — from 12.7% (estimated 382,000 families) in March.
In “Balance Luzon,” hunger fell by 3.6 points to 10.7% (estimated 1.1 million families) from 14.3% (estimated 1.4 million families), marking the area’s lowest level since June 2011’s 9.7%.
In the Visayas, hunger edged up by 0.7 of a point to 11.7% (estimated 499,000 families) from March’s 11% (estimated 470,000 families).
On the other hand, hunger in Mindanao steadied at the 14.3% logged in March, which in turn was the lowest since September 2011’s 13.0%.
Sought for comment, Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail F. Valte credited the administration’s conditional cash transfer flagship poverty-alleviation program, which gives households identified as some of the poorest of the poor cash in exchange for availment of certain basic educational, maternity and other social services.
The SWS report showed that the administration began its term in mid-2010 with annual average hunger at 19.1% that year — flat from 2009. The average then worsened to 19.9% in 2011 and stayed at that level the following year, before easing to 19.5% in 2013 and to 18.3% last year.
“The program is an example of the government’s commitment to the Filipino people, as it embodies concrete investments in human development, empowering beneficiaries and their families to better care for themselves,” Ms. Valte said in a text message on Thursday last week.
Ms. Valte also cited subdued inflation, which hit just 1.2% in June — marking the slowest pace in at least 20 years — partly due to lower food costs. The increase in prices of widely used goods averaged just 2.0% last semester against the central bank’s 2.1% forecast for 2015 and stood at the floor of an official 2-4% full-year target range.
“Apart from this (conditional cash transfer program), inflation has also been kept down. The price of basic commodities has remained relatively steady, in part due to the government’s effort to ensure the consistency of food supply in the country,” she said.
Sought for comment, Trade Union Congress of the Philippines Spokesman Alan A. Tanjusay cited the “uninterrupted availability of basic agricultural crops to the population,” noting that the country was “not visited by highly destructive typhoons in the past quarters.”
At the same time, however, Mr. Tanjusay added: “We also cannot discount the possibility of the broader availability and supply of pagpag,” a term used for leftovers from fastfood restaurants that are scavenged from garbage dumps. — Alden M. Monzon
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