The Philippines has the third worst incidence of moderate to severe food insecurity in Southeast Asia at 51 million, followed by strife-torn Myanmar at 17.4 million, Indonesia at 13.6 million and Vietnam at 10.6 million, based on the latest report of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.
Think tank IBON said this reflects the administration's failure on multiple development fronts (like addressing the poverty crisis, inadequate agricultural policies and overdependence on the global markets.
In this connection, candidates to the midterm elections in 2025 should come up with deeper and more significant solutions to the serious food insecurity problem (and not mere political pronouncements to win votes).
Poorer Pinoys?
IBON said the country needs leaders who understand that millions of Filipinos are going hungry, which UNFAO said affects 44.1 percent of the population after Timor Leste's 53.7 percent and Cambodia's 50.5 percent in 2021 to 2023.
IBON said the number of self-rated poor families grew to 16.3 million or 59 percent of Filipino families in September 2024, according to Social Weather Stations (SWS).
Also, households without savings grew to 19.2 million or 71 percent of households in the third quarter of 2024 (despite the financial literacy campaigns of the banking sector), according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).
Informality in employment is prevalent at 42 percent (20.8 million) of total employed persons that are outright informal workers.
Policy change needed
Agricultural policies are needed to expand production with support to small farmers for sustainable agriculture astride protection from land-grabbing and land conversion.
The over-reliance on global markets for food, including the staple of rice, and for inputs to food production also has to be corrected to reduce vulnerabilities.
The direction should be towards strengthening local food systems while considering the impacts of climate change and environmental degradation on agriculture, IBON cited in its October report.
IBON said that the people need government officials that will make effective policy decisions to address food insecurity based on the real situation.
Structural changes and a vision of long-term agricultural development are necessary, not short-sighted populist measures so politicians look good or that only serve the interest of big business.
An important and immediate solution is ensuring substantial social protection to the poor and most vulnerable and significantly raising wages. In the long term, more funds and resources need to be poured into domestic agriculture to support producers and agricultural productivity, said the group.
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