BALER, Aurora— Sen. Edgardo J. Angara said there is a need to establish mechanisms and promote national policies that give incentives for maximizing agricultural production to solve the rising poverty and hunger problems in the country.
The senator from Aurora is reacting to the latest Social Weather Station survey showing an increase in hunger incidence in the country during the last quarter of 2011.
He called on the national government to adopt and implement aggressive measures in combating hunger and reducing malnutrition by prioritizing agricultural programs which he said is the best solution for the problem.
The hunger problem, Angara said, could be solved in two ways.
First, by increasing food production to stabilize prices and prevent fluctuations in supply, and second, by raising the incomes of the rural poor who are often the casualties of hunger.
Angara also stressed that hunger gives rise to dire effects such as malnutrition, especially child malnutrition which is an obstacle to human development and national progress.
Angara said he is continuing his fight against hunger and malnutrition through the nutrition campaign he started dubbed, “OMG! (Oh My Gulay!)”which aims to encourage a healthy diet of fruits and vegetables among schoolchildren.
The campaign is in response to a World Bank report showing that the mortality rate for Filipino babies below five years old is three times higher in poor families than in rich ones. Furthermore, 3 percent of preschool children are reported malnourished, thus diminishing their skills development and hampering their learning process.
“Solving hunger and improving nutrition are key factors in eradicating poverty and fueling economic growth. It is as much an issue of economics as one of welfare, social protection and human rights,” Angara stressed.
Based on the latest SWS survey, about 22.5 percent of Filipinos (about 4.5 million families) said they experienced having nothing to eat, which is slightly higher than the 21.5 percent (about 4.1 million families) recorded in September. -- MM
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