Malacañang said yesterday that President Duterte’s economic managers are undertaking measures to address the issue of hunger among Filipinos, which it said, has been a challenge for every administration.
Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said hunger among Filipinos has always been a challenge for every administration and even President Duterte recognizes it as one.
“Tinatanggap ni Presidente iyon. Doon sa SoNA niya, ‘di ba sinasabi niya, na ito ang problema natin, may anim na milyong Pilipino ang nasa poverty line, kailangang gawan natin ito ng paraan,” he said.
“It’s not only a latest challenge. That has been the challenge of all administrations in this country. We have to improve the lives of our countrymen. Majority of our Filipinos are poor – that has been the challenge of all administrations,” he added.
The Palace official said that there is poverty in the country because of the lack of income coming in.
“Kaya nga tayo may mga ‘Build, Build, Build.’ ‘Pag iyang mga projects na iyan kumalat sa buong bansa, ibig sabihin may trabaho ang mga Pilipino,” Panelo said.
“‘Pag may pumasok naman na mga trade relations, ibig sabihin may pumasok ditong mag-i-invest, may pabrikang mga bago, may trabaho na naman ang Pilipino,” he added.
Malacañang had earlier said that the second half of the Duterte administration will zero in on eradicating hunger in the country by 2030.
A Social Weather Stations survey has showed that more Filipinos families experienced hunger in the second quarter of this year.
Based on the June 22 to 26 poll, the SWS found out that 10 percent or an estimated 2.5 million families experienced involuntary hunger at least once.
Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said the survey reinforces the government’s decision to step up its “#GoodbyeGutom” efforts to address hunger by the second half of Duterte’s six-year term.
Also in the survey, 35 percent of respondents consider themselves as “food poor,” eight percentage points higher than the 27 percent families recorded in March 2019.
Nograles said that even before the poll came out, Duterte had already directed members of the Cabinet to align the different anti-hunger and poverty-reduction initiatives of the various agencies so that government programs can be more effective and will have an impact on more Filipinos, especially children.
#GoodbyeGutom is the objective of the government’s Expanded Partnership Against Hunger and Poverty, a program involving several departments that will work closely together to eradicate hunger in the country by 2030. (Argyll Cyrus B. Geducos)
