Based on SWS data, the latest hunger rate is the lowest since June 2007, when the recorded figure was at 14.7 percent.

In its survey, SWS asked 1,200 respondents nationwide: “In the last 3 months, did it happen even once that your family experienced hunger and not have anything to eat?”

Those who answered in the affirmative were further asked: “Did it happen ‘only once,’ ‘a few times,’ ‘often’ or ‘always?’”

SWS classified experiencing hunger only once or a few times as “moderate hunger,” while going hungry often or always was categorized as “severe hunger.”

Nationwide, those who experienced moderate hunger decreased from 15.7 percent (3.2 million families) in March to 13.1 percent (2.6 million families) in June.

Those who experienced severe hunger fell from 4.7 percent (950,000 families) in March to 2 percent (403,000 families) in June.

By geographical area, overall hunger rates decreased in Luzon outside Metro Manila and Metro Manila, but rose in the Visayas and Mindanao.

Read more here. Also, please consider a donation to the PAS soup kitchen.

Usually emotionally agitated by the sight of families in squatter areas having numerous children, these well-intentioned “social engineers” propose to limit the number per children per fertile woman to two. That’s the typical knee-jerk reaction that has not been subjected to a more thorough analysis.

Villegas also correctly identifies the causes of poverty as (including) misguided economic policies and widespread corruption in the public and private sector.  I highly recommend his article entitled, “The Folly of Stopping at Two.”

LEGAZPI CITY, Albay, Philippines —The United Nations World Food Programme (UN-WFP) on Tuesday sent 55,000 kilos of high energy biscuits worth P5 million to families in Albay who were affected by heavy rains for more than three weeks now.

Stephen Anderson, WFP country director, said this would augment ongoing relief operations in Bicol.

Read the whole story here.

In the Philippines, we managed the thrift store that my brother Steve and his wife Katy started while they were working for PAS earlier this year. The thrift store benefits the working poor by giving them quality clothing and children’s books for a fraction of what they’d pay elsewhere. It also helps us cover overhead expenses like utilities so that donations can go straight to feeding and caring for the poor. My wife and I were fortunate enough to be able to serve at our mobile soup kitchen during our visit. (I’ll post some pictures soon.)

I’m excited to announce that Philippine Aid Society will be expanding our partnership with the outreach ministry of the University of Pampanga in San Fernando. With their administrative structure and volunteer base, we will be able to help fund many new programs to help the poor and expand our service area. Thanks to all our donors for making this possible!

“Our administration is eager to rebuild this nation with you. We are eager to show the world what the Filipino can do,” President Aquino told movers of the local car industry. The President was guest speaker at the 3rd Philippine International Motor Show organized by the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. (Campi) at the World Trade Center in Pasay City (Metro Manila).  Read the rest of the story here…

Currently, NFA has been subsidizing rice by selling the commodity at a lower price. When the country’s new government assumed office late June, it discovered the over importation of rice during the previous administration.

Philippine President Benigno Aquino III disclosed in his first State of the Nation address that tons of rice has been rotting in warehouses.  Read the rest of the story here.

To the many corrupt Filipino politicians, Meloto said, “as Christians, we shouldn’t judge, but love and respect them.” He described a mathematical analysis on corrupt mayors: “I don’t think there’s a human being that’s 100 per cent bad. If they are 90 per cent corrupt, then I will engage the ten per cent that’s good.” Engaging the 1500 mayors with ten per cent goodness will collectively “overcome any evil” in the Philippines.

Read the rest of the story…

The FACC is a Charlotte based “community of Filipino-Americans able to advance and enhance understanding, friendship, and civic unity among its members and other communities in the Carolinas and abroad.”  Visit their website to learn more about them.

MANILA, Philippines —The country’s power supply remained unstable marked by the thin reserves of the Luzon and the Visayas grids, and huge generation deficiencies of the Mindanao grid.

According to the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP), the Luzon grid has a gross reserve of 308 megawatts in the morning and which fell to about 100 Megawatts (MW) in the afternoon. Ideally, Luzon should have power reserves of at least 1,200 MW, to enable it to address any temporary shortages.

The Visayas grid has gross power reserves of 58 MW while the supply deficit of the Mindanao grid remained dismal at 679 MW.  Read the rest of the story.