Hunger rose in Filipino families to 14.2 percent in March from 12.6 percent in December 2023, a recent Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showed.

SWS said the March hunger rate was the highest since 16.8 percent in May 2021.

Among the regions, Metro Manila experienced the most hunger at 19.0 percent of families, followed by Balance Luzon at 15.3 percent, Visayas at 15.3 percent, and Mindanao at 8.7 percent.

“Compared to December 2023, the incidence of hunger rose significantly by 6.3 points in Metro Manila, from 12.7 percent to 19 percent,” it added.

In the Visayas hunger rose from 9.3 percent to 15 percent; in Balance Luzon, it increased from 14.3 percent to 15.3 percent, and in Mindanao, it declined from 12 percent to 8.7 percent.

Compared to December 2023, moderate hunger rose from 11.2 percent, while severe hunger increased from 3.0 percent to 4.7 percent. Jaspearl Tan/DMS