Manila - More Filipinos are going hungry as food prices soar in the Philippines, a nationwide survey showed on Monday. 

According to the June 27-30 survey, the country's hunger index rose to 16.3 per cent in the past three months to June from 15.7 per cent in March. 

The index translates to an estimated 2.9 million families, or more than 14 million people, who experienced "hunger due to lack of anything to eat" at least once since April. 

The Social Weather Stations (SWS), which conducted the poll, said 760,000 families of those reporting hunger experienced it "often" or "always," up from 570,000 families in March. 

The Philippines has been hard hit by soaring world commodity prices, with the price of rice, the country's staple food, rising 43 per cent since last year. (dpa)