During disasters, calamities and natural or manmade emergencies, affected communities normally wait for relief items to be sent to their areas or rely on kindhearted souls and volunteers to bring them relief goods and basic needs to tide them over.
With this in view, the House committee on appropriations approved on Monday an unnumbered substitute bill that mandates building of food banks or community pantries in every province of the country to stave off massive starvation during unforeseen calamities.
Rep. Alan 1B Ecleo (Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Norte), one of the principal authors of the proposal, said no province should suffer from massive starvation and inadequate food resources because of transportation delays or interruptions.
“Our province’s experience with Covid-19 and Typhoon Odette is an eye-opener to the reality experienced by geographically isolated provinces in times of crises and natural calamities, specifically concerning the accessibility and availability of food supply,” said Ecleo, who chairs the House committee on disaster resilience.
Ecleo authored House Bill 5245, among the three bills consolidated and passed by the House appropriations committee. It aims to establish stockpiles that will serve as a
“central repository and supply reserve of food, water, medicines, vaccines, antidotes, and other critical medical supplies, and other essential goods such as but not limited to, portable power source, first aid kits, portable light source, clothing, tents, and communication devices in every municipality and city in the Philippines.”
Such items and relief materials, according to Ecleo, shall be non-perishable or will have a shelf life of at least two years for food items.
The bill will also help in boosting local agriculture and local economies of municipalities and cities by sourcing the food and other supplies from the LGUs themselves.
“As we have always said, no province is safe from the destruction and devastation brought about by weather-related events, especially in the context of our changing climate,” said Ecleo.
“We need to empower each LGU to be able to provide adequate food and supplies to affected households and communities, especially the impoverished,” he added.
Tags: #foodbanks, #disastersandaccidents, #stillunnumberedbill, #charityincrisis, #nomassivestarvation