PHL Catholic Church launches ‘zero hunger bill’ petition

The Philippine Catholic Church's social action arm has launched a petition to support the passage of a bill that seeks to end hunger in two years.

Caritas Philippines sought help from dioceses in getting signatures for the passage of the Zero Hunger Bill, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines said.

“Let this be part of our efforts and commitment to work in solidarity with the poor. Let it be our concrete expression of our mercy and compassion as we celebrate the Year of the Poor,” Caritas Philippines chairman Archbishop Rolando Tirona said in a letter to the dioceses.

“The right to food is a basic right that must be upheld and fulfilled by the duty holder our government,” he added.

He said they are working with other civic-minded groups for the passage of House Bill 3795 or the Right to Adequate Food Framework Act of 2014.

With the move, Caritas Philippines aims to get enough signatures to urge President Benigno Aquino III to certify the bill as urgent to expedite its passage.

Tirona said the early passage of the bill "could save many of our brothers and sisters from hunger..., which is the number one cause of mortality."

Under the proposed measure, the government will prioritize the right to food and draw up a comprehensive program to address hunger.

The National Secretariat for Social Action (NASSA) said passage of the bill is the agency’s commitment to Caritas Internationalis’ campaign on “One human family, food for all.”

Citing an independent survey by the Catholic humanitarian aid, the CBCP said helping farmers is one of the keys to end hunger, especially as they try to adapt to climate change.

The results of the survey were disclosed by Caritas outgoing president Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga and his successor, Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, at the Expo World’s Fair 2015 in Milan, Italy.

In the study, the lack of resources, low agricultural productivity, and the impact of climate change are among the causes of food insecurity.

For his part, NASSA executive secretary Fr. Edu Gariguez said they share the global concern for hunger.

“This is the reason why the Church in the Philippines is strongly pushing for the implementation of agrarian reform,” Gariguez said.

He said strengthening poor people’s land rights can lead to a wide range of social and economic benefits, including poverty reduction.

Yet he lamented how the government failed to implement “this social reform agenda.” — Joel Locsin/LBG, GMA News