Nutrition Advocates To 2016 Candidates: Prioritize Food And Nutrition Security

Three advocacy groups wanting to end hunger and malnutrition in the country united on Thursday in urging all candidates in the national and local levels in the May 9, 2016 elections to prioritize in their electoral agenda the food and nutrition security.

In a media forum held at Max’s Restaurant in Quezon Memorial Circle, Quezon City, the groups lamented that millions of Filipinos continue to suffer from hunger and malnutrition.

According to Executive Director Romeo C. Dongeto of the Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development (PLCPD), it is ironic that while it is said that the Philippines has been transformed from being tagged as “sick man of Asia” to a “tiger economy,” there are still gaps on food security and malnutrition that need to be addressed, especially among the rural folks.

“Steady economic growth has not translated to the improvement of lives of many Filipinos. While there is a reduction in the number of people experiencing hunger, there are still a lot that need to be done to achieve food and nutrition security in the country,” Dongeto said.

He noted that while the 13.4 percent average hunger rate reported by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) in its survey for 2015 was lower compared with the past years, the figure remains high.

He said that the 2013 National Nutrition Survey found that “one in 10 adult Filipinos suffers from chronic energy deficiency.” The same survey also showed high prevalence of undernutrition among children — 19.9 percent of children age 0-5 years were underweight.

The country is one of the United Nations members who have committed themselves for adequate food supply.

According to Dongeto, in a survey conducted by the World Food Programme (WFP) and Rappler last year in the 15 poorest provinces in the country, about 67 percent of the population were procuring their foods from sari-sari stores instead of from the local markets.

These provinces were: Apayao, Masbate, Negros Oriental, Eastern Samar, Northern Samar, Western Samar, Zamboange del Norte, Bukidnon, North Cotabato, Lanao del Norte, Camiguin, Sarangani, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao and Sulu.

Dongeto said the foods procured from the sari-sari stores were usually in the form of noodles and breads.

He further said that about one-fourth of those who were surveyed disclosed that they were experiencing hunger yearly.

Nestor Diego, secretary-general of the Pambansang Kaisahan ng mga Magbubukid sa Pilipinas (PKMP), said that addressing food security should be the top priority of the government.

Diego lamented that the “sorry state of agriculture” in the country is contributing a lot to the high prevalence of poverty and hunger that his fellow farmers and fishermen are experiencing.

He said that reforms and implementation of appropriate policies should be put forward by whoever who will be the next leaders in the country wherein the welfare of the farmers will be prioritized.

“In as much as we want to achieve food security, we must achieve the true implementation of agrarian reforms,” Diego said.

He cited the need for ensuring that seedlings support is really reaching the small farmers and not the rich ones.

He stressed that the next set of government leaders should give focus on the development of the local farming industry.

“We should not be depending so much on rice importation,” he said.

Dyan Amee Rodriguez, vice lead convener of the Philippine Coalition of Advocates for Nutrition Security (PhilCAN), said that local government units (LGUs) should make “nutrition agenda” a priority.

She noted that out of the more than 1,000 LGUs surveyed, only 97 have outstanding nutrition programs.

“Some LGUs are not prioritizing nutrition because they do not have nutrition in their programs,” she said.

She noted that when the country does not invest in nutrition, the effects are irreversible.

She said that some local leaders have no deep knowledge on what is nutrition because some mayors just think of it as weighing the children.

She also lamented that some barangay officials do not have enough knowledge on the importance of the barangay nutrition councils and do not allocate fund for such councils.

“And this is the reality. Nutrition program is not budgeted like other programs such as gender and development, and children’s rights,” she said.

Meanwhile, Director Angel Imperial Jr., spokesman of the National Food Authority (NFA), said that on the part of the government, they are doing their best to ensure that rice supply in the country remains sufficient and prices are relatively stable and law.

Imperial also explained that the importation of rice is not the sole decision of the Department of Agriculture (DA), adding that it needs a recommendation by the food security inter-agency committee composed of different government agencies.

He said that while it is true that the government is doing importation, it is part of filling up an anticipated shortage plus the 30-day buffer stocks that should be maintained.

Imperial also urged everyone to participate in prevention of wastage of rice and assured that they understand the problems of the poor farmers and fishermen wanting to end hunger and malnutrition. (PNA) SCS/LSJ