The number of Filipino families who experienced involuntary hunger has slightly increased in the first quarter of 2022, the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey results released on Monday, June 6, showed.

The survey conducted from April 19 to 27, with 1,440 respondents found that 12.2 percent of Filipino families, or about 3.1 million households, have experienced involuntary hunger at least once in the past three months.

SWS defines involuntary hunger as being hungry and not having anything to eat.

“The April 2022 hunger rate is 0.4 points above the 11.8 percent (estimated 3.0 million families) in December 2021, and 2.2 points above the 10 percent (estimated 2.5 million families) in September 2021. However, it is 0.9 points below the 13.1 percent annual average for 2021,” SWS said in a statement.

Hunger rises in Balance Luzon, Mindanao; falls in Metro Manila, Visayas.

SWS said that the experience of hunger is highest in Metro Manila at 18.6 percent, followed by Mindanao at 13.1 percent, Balance Luzon or Luzon outside Metro Manila at 11.7 percent, and Visayas at 7.8 percent.

“The 0.4-point rise in overall hunger between December 2021 and April 2022 is due to increases in Balance Luzon and Mindanao, combined with decreases in Metro Manila and the Visayas,” it said.

It pointed out that the 12.2 percent hunger rate in April is the sum of 9.3 percent, or about 2.4 million families, who experienced “moderate” hunger and 2.9 percent, or about 744,000 families, who experienced “severe” hunger.

SWS refers to moderate hunger as having experienced hunger “only once” or “a few times” in the last three months, while severe hunger refers to those who experienced it “often” or “always” in the last three months.

In December 2021, moderate hunger was at 9.2 percent, or about 2.3 million families, while severe hunger was at 2.6 percent, or about 657,000 families.