Malacañang welcomed the result of a recent survey showing that the number of Filipinos who experienced hunger declined but said that more should be done to address hunger and poverty.
Communications Secretary Martin Andanar made the statement after the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey conducted from December 12 to 16, 2021, showed that 11.8 percent of Filipino families experienced involuntary hunger or hunger caused by lack of access to food at least once in the last quarter of 2021.
This figure is lower than the 16 percent of families who had the same experience in the last quarter of 2020.
In a statement, Andanar said they consider the said figure as a clear indication of the positive impact of the programs of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Zero Hunger which President Duterte created through Executive Order No. 101 last January 2020.
However, the acting Palace spokesman said that more must be done to address the problem.
"We have done much during this challenging time, but we underscore that much more needs to be done to continuously address hunger and poverty," he said.
According to Andanar, included in the Task Force's initiatives is the creation of the Enhanced Partnership Against Hunger and Poverty (EPAHP) and pilot feeding programs under the First 1000 Days of Life.
The Task Force likewise launched the Pilipinas Kontra Gutom (PKG) and formulated the Philippine Multi-sectoral Nutrition Project Proposal for the World Bank, Gulayan sa Barangay at sa Pamayanan programs, and various livelihood projects aimed at uplifting the lives of farmers and fisherfolk.