CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Dec. 1 - The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened involuntary hunger wrought by food production, distribution and accessibility issues, hidden hunger, malnutrition as well as food shortages. This prompted Pilipinas Kontra Gutom to launch a movement aimed at zeroing hunger in the country and to remind everyone that food is a basic right of every citizen with Cabinet Secretary Karlo B. Nograles leading the virtual kickoff recently.
Ang kagutuman, kapag hindi natin nalunasan, ay isang paglabag sa karapatang pantao (Hunger, if not solved, would be a violation of human rights), said Nograles who chairs the Task Force Zero Hunger.
Citing 2020 Global Hunger Index, the Cabinet Secretary said that Philippines is ranked 69th among 117 countries with a score of 19.0 or suffers from a level of hunger classified as moderate. Survey from Social Weather Stations conducted recently also showed that the country’s hunger incidence has reached 30.7 percent which equivalent to 7.6 million hungry Filipino households.
Pilipinas Kontra Gutom, a multisectoral collaboration, involves the government, academe, non-profit organizations, private sector, and the public to end the hunger through systemic and sustainable solutions to make such problem less intimidating and more bite-sized, collaborating with private sector and making zero hunger simple and inclusive yet big, inspiring and empowering.
The movement will start through supporting anti-hunger efforts that support agriculture, malnutrition advocacy for kinds below five years old and also in form of meal donations. Founding members of Pilipinas Kontra Gutom (Private Sector) are from the country’s biggest corporations, namely: Coca-Cola, Dole Philippines, Johnsons & Johnsons Philippines, McDonald’s, Metrobank, and San Miguel Corporation.
They pledged to provide 100,000 meals for identified households in the National Capital Region and key priority areas. They are also set to provide 3,000 infant kits for children below two years old.
The Cabinet Secretary also shared that this movement is align with the government’s roadmap to achieve zero hunger, as outlined in the National Food Policy. He as well said that the government remains consistent in its commitment to Sustainable Development Goals set by United Nations which includes zeroing hunger by 2030.
Further, he said that another movement will be launched soon with a purpose of targeting a larger scale of beneficiaries.
Pilipinas Kontra Gutom is also open for donations from companies who wish to involve and as well as the public through rmhc.org.ph. (IJBDayo/PIA10)
Source: Philippines Information Agency (pia.gov.ph)
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