Palace seeks to boost efforts in attaining zero hunger, food security

Malacañang has called for a government-wide approach to improve efforts in eradicating hunger and ensuring food security, in the Philippines under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Based on the two-page Memorandum Circular No. 47 signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin on April 19, all government agencies and instrumentalities were directed, while all local government units were encouraged, to support the implementation of the Enhanced Partnership Against Hunger and Poverty (EPAHP) Program.

The EPAHP is a program of Task Force on Zero Hunger, which aims to institutionalize efforts to mitigate hunger and promote food and nutrition security by linking community-based organizations to prospective markets and providing credit assistance to support food production, processing and distribution.

“It is imperative for all government agencies and instrumentalities to support the continuous and effective implementation of the EPAHP Program to bolster government efforts towards attaining zero hunger, food and nutrition security, and sustainable agriculture,” the circular read.

A Social Weather Station (SWS) survey conducted in December last year revealed the number of Filipino families that experienced involuntary hunger — or being hungry and not having anything to eat at least once in the past three months — grew from 9.8% in September 2023 to 12.6% in December 2023.

The SWS survey attributed the spike to the increased hunger incidence in all parts of the country except Metro Manila.

In a bid to address hunger, the task force was instructed to ensure the continued and effective implementation of the EPAHP Program, as well as carry out measures in coordination with the relevant government agencies.

These measures include efforts to strengthen institutional feeding programs of partner agencies; extend credit assistance to support food production, processing, and distribution in partnership with government financial intuitions; and link participating CBOs to prospective markets.

The task force is also mandated to enhance provision of farm production technologies and extension of services to government-assisted family farms and rural based-organizations; and enhance the sustainability of the EPAHP Program through implementation of policies that will engage private sector, and institutionalize mechanisms in the LGUs.

It is also directed to adopt Community Participation Procurement to encourage CBOs to participate in the EPAHP program; as well as construct, repair and improve irrigation facilities and appurtenant structures in irrigable areas in the countryside.—RF, GMA Integrated News