Philippines
As hunger crisis looms, Hontiveros pushes for P1.36-B increase in DSWD's budget
As hunger crisis looms, Hontiveros pushes for P1.36-B increase in DSWD's budget
Senator Risa Hontiveros on Wednesday pushed for a P1.36-billion increase in the proposed budget of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for next year to enable the government to effectively respond to a looming “hunger crisis” in the Philippines.
Hontiveros said it is expected that the COVID-19 pandemic would not be the only major threat facing the country in the next few months but also the possibility of a massive hunger crisis as well that can directly affect millions of households nationwide.
“Just this August, UNICEF reported that a third of Filipino children in the country experience stunted growth. The country is in fact among the top 10 countries worldwide with the highest number of stunted children,” Hontiveros said in a statement.
“And with the difficult economic situation now, the number of Filipino children who are hungry, malnourished and suffering from stunted physical growth will rise dramatically if government fails to act soon,” she said.
The senator’s appeal comes as the Social Weather Stations (SWS) reported that about 7.6 million Filipino households have experienced “involuntary hunger” in the last three months—the highest hunger incidence recorded in the country since 2014.
She said a higher funding for DSWD will help feed at least 1.94 million children, aged three to five years old, who are mostly undernourished and impoverished.
“If we want to prevent an epidemic of malnutrition and stunted growth among young children, we have to empower the DSWD and provide the necessary budgetary increases for our nationwide feeding programs,” Hontiveros said.
The lawmaker noted that the DSWD’s proposed budget for next year do not include the additional P1.36-billion supposedly for the supplemental feeding program.
She said the Senate should rectify the situation by ensuring that the government’s feeding platforms get sufficient funding, saying it is unacceptable to scrimp on programs that are aimed at boosting the health needs of the country’s youth.
“Hindi tayo dapat nagkukuripot sa kalusugan n gating kabataan, dahil kinabukasan ng bansa ang nakataya dito (We should not be stingy in terms of addressing the health needs of our youth, because the future of our nation is at stake here),” Hontiveros stressed.