HUNGER IN RP AT RECORD HIGH IN 4th QUARTER / ANGAT DAM WATER LEVEL DOWN
MANILA,
JANUARY 13, 2010
(STAR) By Helen Flores - Hunger incidence in the country
is at its highest since President Arroyo took over the presidency in 2001,
according to the latest survey by the Social Weather Stations (SWS).
An estimated 4.4 million households or a new record high of 24 percent experienced involuntary hunger at least once in the past three months, the Fourth Quarter 2009 Social Weather Survey showed.
SWS, which conducted the survey from Dec. 5 to 10, said the latest hunger rate surpassed the previous record-high incidence of 23.7 percent in December 2008.
“The measure of hunger refers to involuntary suffering because the respondents answer a survey question that specifies hunger due to lack of anything to eat,” the SWS said.
The survey also found that 46 percent or an estimated 8.5 million families consider themselves “Mahirap” or “Poor,” and 39 percent or an estimated 7.1 million consider themselves “Food-Poor.”
SWS said the 5.2-point increase in Overall Hunger between October 2009 and December 2009 resulted from a 4.3-point increase in Moderate Hunger, combined with a one-point increase in Severe Hunger.
Moderate Hunger, which refers to those who experienced it “Only Once” or “A Few Times” in the last three months, went from 15 percent (estimated 2.8 million families) in October to 19.3 percent (estimated 3.6 million families) in December.
Severe Hunger, which refers to those who experienced it “Often” or “Always” in the last three months, rose from 3.8 percent (about 700,000 families) in October to 4.7 percent (estimated 870,000 families) in December.
The new survey also showed that Hunger incidence rose in all areas.
It said Overall Hunger rose by 11 points in Metro Manila, from 16 percent (estimated 394,000 families) in October to 27 percent (estimated 665,000 families) in December 2009.
Self-rated poverty and food-poverty eased in most areas except Mindanao.
The survey revealed that the Self-rated Poverty Threshold, or the monthly budget that poor households need in order not to consider themselves poor, has remained sluggish for several years despite considerable inflation.
“This indicates that poor families have been lowering their living standards, i.e., belt-tightening,” it said.
Based on the new SWS survey, a family in Metro Manila must now earn P12,000 per month to surpass poverty/hunger. In 2000, P7,491 per month was needed to overcome poverty.
On the other hand, median food poverty threshold of P7,000 in Metro Manila is equivalent to only P4,590 in base year 2000 purchasing power for food, SWS said.
The Consumer Price Index has risen 60 percent since 2000.
The non-commissioned survey used face-to-face interviews of 2,100 adults divided into random samples of 300 in Metro Manila and 600 each in balance Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. - With Marvin Sy
Angat Dam to cut water supply to Metro By Dino Balabo (The Philippine Star) Updated January 13, 2010 12:00 AM
[Photo
at left - Engineer Rodolfo German shows yesterday that the water in the Angat
Dam has dropped to a level where the dam can no longer release water through its
spillway. DINO BALABO]
MANILA, Philippines - With the water level of the Angat Dam at nine meters below its optimal elevation, a dam official said yesterday the National Power Corp. will gradually reduce water supply to Metro Manila households and Central Luzon farmers to make the water last until the next rainy season.
Engineer Rodolfo German, general manager of the Angat River hydroelectric power plant, said the water elevation yesterday dropped to 201.67 meters, which is low for this time of year.
“We only had 204 meters at the start of the year, wherein we must have at least 210 meters at the beginning of the year to have enough water supply for Metro Manila and local farmers until the next wet season,” he said.
The dam supplies 97 percent of Metro Manila’s potable water needs, and this low water elevation could be the initial effect of El Niño, a weather phenomenon highlighted by lack of rainfall.
Angat Dam currently allocates 46 cubic meters per second (cms) of water to concessionaires of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) and another 34 cms to National Irrigation Administration (NIA).
German said there is a need to reduce current allocation to MWSS concessionaires and local farmers as the state weather bureau predicted the onset of El Niño this year. He said no storm has hit the country after typhoon “Ramil” last year.
Late last year, Angat Dam and other giant water reservoirs in Northern Luzon like the San Roque, Magat and Pantabangan Dam spilled water in response to a series of typhoons that hit the country. Of the three dams, only Angat is required to supply water for potable use, while water from the other dams are used for irrigation and power generation. – With Helen Flores
Tremor rocks Metro The Philippine Star) Updated January 13, 2010 12:00 AM
(STAR) MANILA, Philippines - A magnitude 5.7 earthquake rocked parts of Luzon, including Metro Manila, yesterday but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said.
Phivolcs director Renato Solidum said the quake struck at 6:54 p.m. and experts traced its epicenter at 30 kilometers southeast of Olongapo City.
The tremor was felt at Intensity 4 in the cities of Manila, Pasay and Makati; Intensity 3 in Quezon City and Tagaytay; and Intensity 2 in Indang, Cavite and Plaridel, Bulacan.
Magnitude refers to the measure of energy of an earthquake specified on the Richter scale, while intensity is a measure of the severity of shaking and its attendant damage on the surface of the earth.
The Philippine sits on the “Pacific Ring of Fire” where continental plates meet, causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity. – Helen Flores