Support for passing the ‘Zero Hunger’ Bill needed
With no law expressly guaranteeing the right to adequate food for all in the Philippines, a clear policy framework is required to address hunger. The national campaign by the Philippine National Food Coalition calls on wider civil society to help achieve this.
Three years after the National Food Coalition (NFC), spearheaded by FIAN Philippines, initiated a campaign for a national framework law on the right to food, the country is just one step closer to meeting this goal. Recently approved by both the Senate and House of Representatives Committee on Human Rights, the so-called ‘Zero Hunger Bill’ is due for second reading. Officially referred to as “Right to Adequate Food (RTAF) Framework Bill”, the proposed bill mandates the government to establish a clear set of policy targets to end hunger in the Philippines within ten years.
The Bill does not narrow food to a matter of charity but emphasizes it as a legal entitlement, with a comprehensive food program under an integrated whole-of-government approach. According to NFC, the main drivers of hunger in the Philippines are poverty, inequality and the resulting failure of the poor to access available resources. With 37% – or an estimated 8.1 million – Filipino families considering themselves “food poor”, it is crucial to address hunger in the country.
Composed of over 75 organizations and federations, and accounting for more than 10.000 members, the NFC is calling on wider civil society to support the “Zero Hunger” campaign, so the Philippine Congress passes the Bill at the earliest opportunity. The current online petition is expected to speed up the process and help establish a legal framework to institutionalize food security and make the country hunger-free.
Visit the website campaign and sign the petition.
For more information, please contact the national food coalition.