A resident uses plastic sacks and scrap wood as he strengthens a shanty to help make it withstand the storms in Baseco Community in Tondo Manila on June 11, 2021. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News 

MANILA -- About 27.2 percent of Filipino families experienced involuntary hunger in the last three months, according to a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey released over the weekend. 

The number of families who did not having anything to eat at least once "was 6.0 points above the 21.2 percent in February 2025, and the highest since the record high 30.7 percent during the COVID-19 pandemic in September 2020," the pollster noted. 

The March figure was 7 points above the last year's hunger average of 20.2 percent, SWS added.

It said families in Visayas were the hardest hit by hunger at 33.7 percent, followed by Metro Manila at 28.3 percent, Mindanao at 27.3 percent, and the rest of Luzon at 24 percent.

Some 21 percent of families faced moderate hunger, which meant they experienced hunger “only once” or “a few times” in the last three months. Meanwhile, 6.2 percent experienced severe hunger, which meant they felt it "often" or "always".

Malacanang said it would look into the survey results.    

“Aaralin po natin kung saan nanggagaling itong mga sinasabi na nagugutom pa ang ibang mga kababayan natin at para malaman natin kung saang lugar ito at mayroon man pagkukulang ay maibsan po natin ang ganitong klaseng mga sitwasyon po,” Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said in a briefing.

She noted that the government was implementing several projects geared towards addressing hunger among vulnerable Filipinos.

“Sa bagong report po ng DSWD, marami na po kasing programa na talaga pong pantawid gutom. Unahin ko po ang programa ng DSWD na nagsisilbi po sa 300,000 food-poor households na may equivalent po na 1.5 million individuals – across the country po ito. Sila po ay binibigyan ng P3,000 monthly as food aid,” Castro said. 

“Pangalawa pong programa ng DSWD ay Walang Gutom Kitchen. Ito po ay located sa Pasay City kung saan nagsisilbi po ng mga hot free meals sa mga pamilya, sa mga bata lalung-lalo na iyong mga nasa lansangan.”

“Maliban pa po diyan ay mayroon po ang DSWD na programa ito po iyong ‘Walang Gutom Project Kusinero Cook-off Challenge’ para po ma-improve iyong public nutrition at mayroon din po ang Walang Gutom Project that provides eligible families with electronic benefit transfer po – ito pong P3,000 monthly food credits,” she added.

The March 15-20 survey used face-to-face interviews with 1,800 registered voters. It had sampling error margins of ±2.31 percent for national percentages.

Gov't prioritizing food programs as self-rated hunger among Filipinos rises – DSWD 

— With a report from Pia Gutierrez, ABS-CBN News