The Church's humanitarian arm strongly urged the government to immediately address the problems concerning the country's economy.
"The government should not be blind to the woes of its citizens and should implement programs to mitigate the situation," said Caritas Philippines National Director and Kidapawan Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo in an interview with Church-run Radyo Veritas.
“It’s time to stop the partying and focus on the concerns that are close to the stomach of the citizenry,” he added.
Bagaforo said that more Filipinos are having difficulties in accessing "healthy food" as a result of both national and international issues.
“The effect of the Covid-19 pandemic combined with the Russia-Ukraine war, climate change, and our country’s dependence on imports has increased the price of basic commodities," said Bagaforo.
"This situation made it even harder for Filipinos to afford healthy food," he added.
Based on the SWS survey conducted last June, 11.6 percent of Filipino families or about 2.9 million households, "experienced involuntary hunger – being hungry and not having anything to eat – at least once in the past three months."