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Over 4 Million Philippine Families Went Hungry During Lockdowns

Over 4 Million Philippine Families Went Hungry During Lockdowns

(Bloomberg) -- More than four million Philippine families went hungry over the past three months, doubling from December amid lockdowns to stem the coronavirus outbreak, according to a survey.

Nearly one in every five families said they lacked food, pollster Social Weather Stations said based on phone surveys of over 4,000 people earlier this month. Half of the families were in the main island of Luzon including the capital, which has been easing its lockdown imposed since mid-March.

Almost all these families said they got food aid from the government, the survey results showed. Some 205 billion pesos ($4 billion) was allocated by President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration for cash aid to 18 million low-income families.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.