CAMPAIGN A CAKEWALK COMPARED WITH TASKS WINNER AQUINO MUST FACE - Manila Times

Socially, hunger has apparently begun to stalk the poorest of our poor. The survey group Social Weather Stations says hunger among Filipino families has multiplied four times in the last six years: from 5 percent in 2003 to 20 percent in 2009.

Despite episodes of high growth in recent years, poverty continues to rise. According to official data, the poor increased from 30 percent in 2003 to 33 percent in 2006. In November 2009, University of the Philippines academics estimated that 35 percent of Filipinos—32.27 million people—lived below the poverty line.

Out of every 100 Filipinos, roughly 15 are what the World Bank classifies as “absolutely poor.” In East Asia, only Laos and Cambodia have proportionally more absolutely poor people than we do.

From: http://ping.fm/Pq6be