CITY OF SAN FERNANDO - Various organizations are asking the government to institute programs to resolve the food crisis in the country.
This, as the country joined the observance of the World Food Day 2022 dubbed "Leave No One Behind."
World Food Day is observed every October 16 of each year to highlight the millions of people worldwide who cannot afford a healthy diet and the need for regular access to nutritious food, the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP).
The group stressed the challenge to President Bong Bong Marcos to achieve a Filipino food system.
The KMP said that as farmers and poor people across the world remain hungry, Filipino food producers and consumers assert that the right to food is not just about access to food or food availability.
According to the group, the people's right to food should be about who controls food production and the entire food system.
"We believe that the fight of small food producers for a just, fair, healthy, clean, and sustainable food system is the fight of every Filipino," KMP chairperson Danilo Ramos said.
The Amihan National Federation of Peasant Women said that based on 2021 surveys, some 5.3 million Filipinos experience severe hunger.
While around 48.8 million Filipinos suffer from moderate to severe hunger, said Amihan chair Zenaida Soriano said.
Among ASEAN countries, the Philippines has the second highest number of people who cannot afford a healthy meal or 68.6 percent of our population, despite being an agricultural country, according to Amihan.
Senator Loren Legarda, in her message on FB social media stated that World Food Day 2022’s theme: “Leave No One Behind” is centered on creating worldwide awareness about the different global hurdles that are affecting food security in many countries.
Just this August, the senator said she filed a measure to address the country's growing problem on food security and the issue on food wastage through Senate Bill 240 or the Zero Food Waste Act of 2022. The measure aims to adopt a system that promotes food waste reduction through redistribution and recycling.
"Let’s be one with the UN’s mission of promoting worldwide awareness and action for those who suffer from hunger and for the need to ensure healthy diets for all, leaving no one behind," Legarda said.