Campaign to beat growing hunger incidence in PH launched

In this file photo, a man cooks fish along the railways in Manila. AP FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — A multisectoral anti-hunger movement was launched Tuesday with the aim of providing at least 100,000 meals to less-fortunate individuals or families to address growing hunger incidence in the country.

Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, who also chairs the Task Force Zero Hunger, led the launch of  “Pilipinas Kontra Gutom,” an initiative that involves the government, academe, non-profit organizations, private corporations, and the public.

“Pilipinas Kontra Gutom” aims to “address issues related to involuntary hunger such as food production, food distribution and accessibility, and hidden hunger and malnutrition – including food shortages during times of crises,” according to a statement.

“’Lahat kasali, lahat kasalo’ dahil nanawagan ito ng malawakang pakikilahok (Everyone is involved, everyone is enlisted because this needs collaborative effort), because everyone must be involved and everyone must contribute so everyone will be able to partake of a meal; so we can end hunger together as a nation,” Nograles said during the launch.

Among the founding members of the campaign from the private sector include Coca-Cola, Dole Philippines, J&J Philippines, McDonald’s, Metrobank, and San Miguel Corporation.

The launch of the movement was initiated following the creation of the National Food Policy (NFP) in October.

The NFP, as Nograles previously explained, will outline the country’s anti-hunger priorities based on a comprehensive understanding of the problem of hunger and related issues, and will provide a roadmap to achieve zero hunger.

The Philippines is 69th from among 117 countries in the 2020 Global Hunger Index, earning a score of 19.0 which means that the country has a level of hunger classified as “moderate.”

A Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey released in September showed that 7.6 million Filipino households experienced involuntary hunger from July to early September. According to the poll, 30.7 percent of the 1,249 adult Filipinos surveyed said they experienced “hunger due to lack of food to eat.” This number was higher than the 20.9 percent recorded in July, and the highest since March 2012 at 23.8 percent, SWS noted.

With Pilipinas Kontra Gutom, Nograles said various stakeholders could contribute to anti-hunger efforts via programs that support farmers and food producers, malnutrition advocacy for children below five years of age, as well as assistance in the form of meal donations during crises, among others.

Nograles said the founding members in the private sector initially pledged to provide 100,000 meals for identified communities in the National Capital Region and key priority areas as well as distribute 3,000 kits for children below two years old.