malaysiangThe number of Filipino families who experienced “involuntary” hunger at least once in the third quarter of the year fell to 9.8 percent, according to the latest survey by pollster Social Weather Stations (SWS).
The Sept. 28 to Oct. 1 poll found that hunger incidence in the past three months was lower than the 10.4 percent registered in second quarter and the same as the 9.8 percent in first quarter.
According to SWS, the September 2023 hunger figure is composed of 8.4 percent of respondents who said they experienced moderate hunger and 1.3 percent who experienced severe hunger.
As of September 2023, the experience of hunger was highest among those in Metro Manila at 17.3 percent from 15.7 percent in June 2023, followed by Balance Luzon at 10.3 percent from 11.3 percent, Visayas at 6.7 percent from 9.3 percent, and Mindanao at 6.7 percent from 6.3 percent.
“The 0.6-point decline in Overall Hunger between June 2023 and September 2023 was due to declines in the Visayas and Balance Luzon, combined with a ris
e in Metro Manila and a steady score in Mindanao,” SWS said.
SWS said the rate of overall hunger fell among the self-rated poor from 10.8 percent in June 2023 to 7.7 percent in September 2023, as well as among the self-rated food-poor from 9.4 percent to 7 percent.
The September survey showed that 48 percent of Filipino families rated themselves as poor, 27 percent as borderline poor, and 25 percent as not poor.
Meanwhile, some 34 percent of families rated themselves as food-poor, 35 percent as borderline food-poor, and 31 percent and not food-poor.
The survey had 1,200 adult respondents and a margin of error of plus or minus 2.8 percent for national percentages.
Source Philippines News Agency
Vietnam has improved its global ranking in English proficiency, ranking 58th out of 113 non-native English-speaking countries, according to the EF English Proficiency Index (EPI) by Education First (EF).
The Southeast Asian nation scored 505 out of 800, three points higher than last year and above the global average, keeping it in the ‘moderate proficiency’ category along with 32 others.
In 2021, the country was in the ‘low proficiency’ group with a score of 486.
The Red River Delta, with a focus on Hanoi, has the highest English proficiency in Vietnam, with men outperforming women.
Globally, it ranks 7th among 23 Asian countries and territories.
Singapore leads the continent and ranks second worldwide with a ‘very high proficiency’ index.
The Philippines, Malaysia, and Hong Kong fall in the ‘high proficiency’ category.
According to EF, South and Southeast Asia have seen a slight drop in their English proficiency on average, with India’s level of English declining slowly over the years.
In Central As
ia, English proficiency is low and stable, with higher-than-average gender gaps in favour of men in almost every country.
In East Asia, adult English proficiency has been decreasing in the past four years.
Globally, the Netherlands maintains its top position followed by Singapore, Austria, Denmark, and Norway
To create the 2023 edition of the EPI, EF analysed the results of 2.2 million adults who took its SET English tests last year./.
Source: Vietnam News Agency
