The most recent hunger survey data released by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) has dealt a significant blow to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s claims of success in combating malnutrition, challenging the credibility of his touted achievements in hunger alleviation efforts.

Marcos Jr. cited his administration's initiatives to address hunger and malnutrition in his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 22, which coincided with Nutrition Month.

“Our convergent programs to stamp out hunger and malnutrition were not only successfully launched but have yielded inspiring results thus far,” he said, highlighting initiatives such as the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition and the “Walang Gutom 2027” program.

Surprisingly, however, SWS' latest survey showed that Filipino families experiencing involuntary hunger increased from 14.2 percent in March to 17.6 percent in June.

SWS defines involuntary hunger as being hungry and not having anything to eat at least once in the past three months.

Data from SWS showed that the hunger rate in June 2024 was 3.4 percentage points higher than the 14.2 percent recorded in March 2024 and marked the highest level since the peak of 30.7 percent during the COVID-19 lockdowns in September 2020.

The average hunger rate for the first two quarters of 2024 was 15.9 percent, which was 5.2 percentage points above the 10.7 percent annual average for 2023 and the highest since the 21.1 percent average in 2020.

SWS noted that the hunger rate remained the highest in Metro Manila, at 20.0 percent in June, an increase of one percentage point from 19.0 percent in March.

Balance Luzon (or Luzon outside Metro Manila) followed second at 19.6 percent in June, 4.3 points higher from 15.3 percent last March.

Mindanao landed in third place at 15.7 percent, a sharp increase of 7.0 points in June from 8.7 percent three months prior.

Visayas reached fourth place at 13.7 percent; the region's hunger rate fell slightly by 1.3 points in June from 15.0 percent last March.

Hunger rises among poor, non-poor

In a statement, SWS said hunger occurs at different rates among the poor and the non-poor and is usually higher among the poor at any time.

"From quarter to quarter, however, the hunger rates among the poor and among the non-poor may change, either upward or downward," it said.

"Hunger is highest among the food-poor," SWS added.

The rate of Total Hunger (i.e., Moderate plus Severe) rose among the Non-Poor (Not Poor plus Borderline Poor) from 9.8 percent in March 2024 to 12.7 percent in June 2024, while it also rose among the Self-Rated Poor, from 19.3 percent to 21.3 percent.

The rate of Total Hunger also rose among the Non-Food-Poor (Not Food-Poor plus Borderline Food-Poor) from 9.8 percent to 13.0 percent, and among the Self-Rated Food-Poor, from 21.3 percent to 23.0 percent.

Severe hunger up in all areas

SWS added that the 17.6 percent hunger rate in June 2024 was the sum of 12.8 percent who experienced Moderate Hunger and 4.9 percent who experienced Severe Hunger.

The private pollster refers to Moderate Hunger as those who experienced hunger “Only Once” or “a few times” in the last three months.

Meanwhile, Severe Hunger refers to those who experienced it “Often” or “Always” in the previous three months.

Compared to March 2024, Moderate Hunger hardly moved from 12.2 percent, while Severe Hunger rose by 2.9 points from 2.0 percent.

In Metro Manila, Moderate Hunger fell by 1.0 points from 14.3 percent in March 2024 to 13.3 percent in June, while Severe Hunger rose by 2.0 points from 4.7 percent to 6.7 percent.

In Balance Luzon, Moderate Hunger rose by 1.4 points from 13.1 percent to 14.5 percent, while Severe Hunger rose by 3.0 points from 2.1 percent to 5.1 percent.

In the Visayas, Moderate Hunger fell by 3.0 points from 13.7 percent to 10.7 percent, while Severe Hunger rose by 1.7 points from 1.3 percent to 3.0 percent.

In Mindanao, Moderate Hunger rose by 2.7 points from 8.0 percent to 10.7, while Severe Hunger rose by 4.3 points from 0.7 percent to 5.0 percent.

Acknowledgment

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), which leads Marcos Jr.’s main anti-hunger and anti-poverty programs, has also acknowledged these trends.

In response to the rising hunger issue, the DSWD has endorsed Malacañang’s call for a comprehensive implementation of its Enhanced Partnership Against Hunger and Poverty Program.

The Second Quarter 2024 Social Weather Survey was conducted from June 23 to July 1, 2024, through face-to-face interviews with 1,500 adults (18 years old and above) across the country: 600 in Balance Luzon (Luzon outside Metro Manila) and 300 each in Metro Manila, the Visayas, and Mindanao.

The sampling error margins are ±2.5 percent for national percentages, ±4.0 percent for Balance Luzon, and ±5.7 percent each for Metro Manila, the Visayas, and Mindanao.