Caritas Manila on Monday expressed hope that the drop in the number of Filipino families that have experienced involuntary hunger will be sustained.
Caritas Manila logo (Photo courtesy fo caritas.org.ph / MANILA BULLETIN)
“That’s great news that single digit self-rated families experiencing involuntary hunger,”Father Anton Pascual, executive director of Caritas Manila, said in an interview.
“But more important, the factors leading to the decrease should be sustained,” added Pascual.
He said this is to ensure the eradication of hunger in the country.
According to Pascual, to eat is a “basic right” that must be provided in a civilized society.
“More so as a Christian country,” he said.
Earlier, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles also welcomed the survey result.
“That is one million fewer families suffering from hunger, a number that we want to further improve,” he was quoted in a report.
The Third Quarter 2019 Social Weather Survey, conducted from September 27 to 30, 2019, found that 9.1 percent or an estimated 2.3 million families experienced involuntary hunger at least once in the past three months.
SWS defined involuntary hunger means that the hunger experienced by the family was due to lack of food to eat.
The figure was lower compared to the 10 percent rate last June.