Thursday, April 17, 2008
UN told to sustain food program in Mindanao
MANILA -- Due to the current food crisis hounding the country, Senator Manuel "Mar" Roxas II appealed to the United Nations (UN) to maintain its food program for millions of Filipinos in impoverished and conflict-affected areas in Mindanao.
In citing humanitarian and political reasons, the lawmaker expressed concern over reports that due to soaring food prices, the UN might be forced to cut back on its feeding programs serving as many as one million people in Mindanao.
The UN World Food Programme has provided about US$18 million worth of food assistance to poor families, including 187,000 students, since 2006, and as a result has also promoted the education of children in the area. In coordination with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the UN program has reportedly increased enrollment by as much as 40 percent and decreased the drop-out rate in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Armm) area in a matter of two years.
"An abrupt cut in humanitarian food programs in Mindanao would leave many families desperate and would have an impact on the increasingly fragile peace in Mindanao," Roxas pointed out.
The senator said the UN could consider appointing a Special Envoy on Rice and Food Security with a clear mandate towards mobilizing the international community for rice and food donations.
"This is the time for the wealthier nations to lend a helping hand to the developing world because food shortages can easily be exploited by insurgents and terrorist to undermine democracy and peace in vulnerable regions," he added. (Sunnex) |
