BY JOCELYN MONTEMAYOR
PRESIDENT Arroyo yesterday said that if
simply missing a meal would qualify as experiencing hunger, then
she considers herself a victim of hunger.
"Kasi iyun naman ang question ng hunger, do
you miss one meal during the last three months? Pati naman ako,
I’ve missed one meal in the last three months," she said in an
interview after a roundtable discussion on education and social
services.
The Feb. 24 to 27 Social Weather Stations
survey question was, "Nitong nakaraang tatlong buwan, nangyari
po ba na kahit minsan na ang inyong pamilya ay nakaranas ng
gutom at wala kayong makain? Kung oo, nangyari po ba iyan ng
minsan lamang, mga ilang beses, madalas o palagi?"
The question was specifically addressed to
household heads.
Arroyo said the way the question was posed
among the respondents may have been a factor for the record 19
percent of households experiencing hunger in the latest survey
and the previous one conducted last November.
In Metro Manila, the incidence of hunger rose
from 20 percent in February from 17 percent in November 2006. In
Luzon, it was 18.3 percent in February from 17.7 percent in
November 2006.
The President said insufficient income might
be one of the factors some families missed a meal. She said most
of these are families of coconut farmers.
"That’s why we want to spend as much as
possible the coco levy on increasing the income of the farmers,"
she said.
She said there are cases where a parent or a
family member spends more on vices such as drink than on good.
Arroyo said the government is seeking to
teach students right "spending habits" to ensure that the family
income is spent on basic necessities like food.
She said teaching of responsible parenthood
and family planning methods would help the poor save money which
they could spend on food.
Social Welfare Secretary Esperanza Cabral
said a family spends about P2,000 for formula milk every month,
which can be use to buy food.
Arroyo and Cabral said one reason some
families go hungry was the removal of the "food for school"
program in the supplemental budget sought by the administration
in 2006.
Cabral said the DSWD food-for-school program,
where daycare school children get a kilo of rice daily for 120
days, was replaced with milk feeding and hot meals. The same
program is offered by the Department of Education for elementary
students.
Arroyo said each kilo of rice costs about
P20, which benefits the student and his family while the milk
and hot meals also cost about P20 but only benefit the student.
Cabinet secretary Ricardo Saludo said higher pr ices of rice
and a drop in production due to typhoons prevented some poor
families from having access to the staple.
