ABOUT 11 million Filipinos, or about 12 percent of the Philippine population live below the subsistence level. Because of the lingering poverty, hunger is prevalent in some parts of the country. Furthermore, 18 percent of our population is considered undernourished.
President Benigno Aquino III has always reiterated his efforts to address poverty in the country. He had said that the government would never give up on coming up with formulas to eradicate poverty in the country. Part of his goals was halving poverty by 2015 and to slim—if not get rid of—the number of hungry Filipinos.
In a recent report by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) based in Washington, DC, The Philippines has scored 13 points in the latest Global Hungry Index (GHI) with the decrease in the number of hungry Filipinos in the past two decades.
Meanwhile, the Social Weather Stations (SWS) recently revealed in its latest survey that fewer Filipinos experience involuntary hunger in the last three months although nearly half of them rated themselves “poor.”
There is now clear evidence that actions to solve poverty and hunger in the country are underway and are being vigorously pursued by the administration in partnership with basic sectors.
The government is now strengthening the poverty-reduction programs at the grassroots level by providing an arena for consultation between the government and civil society regarding the issues and advocacies to deal with the concerns of the poor. Local Government Units (LGUs) in the country continue their action to support the hunger mitigation programs set by the administration.
Various programs intended to increase food production and augment the efficiency of logistics and food delivery are being executed. Also there are now programs available that intend to put money into poor people’s pockets, promote good nutrition, and manage the population which taken together address issues related to food demand.
The government is to be applauded for having implemented certain economic reforms that resulted to lesser hungry Filipinos, but the fight against poverty and other issues that hinder the Philippines from moving forward still lingers.
It is hard to believe that a country rich with natural resources has inhabitants who are hungry. The country has one of the most copious and diverse marine resources in the world, not to mention the world-class fruits and other exports we produce. We should not let poverty and hunger co-exist with economic growth. We should all work together; maximize resources not only to put food on the table but also to finally win the country’s battle against poverty. (AJPress)
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( Published October 21, 2010 in Asian Journal Las Vegas p. A6 )
