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Hunger and poverty

Hunger & poverty

CONCERNED state offices, including the Inter-Agency Task Force on Zero Hungry (IATF-ZH), continue to “look deeper” into the question of poverty, given the monstrous presence of hungry Filipinos.

As in other developing nations across the globe, the “mushrooming” number of people living below the poverty line still worries the government not only in the countryside but throughout the Philippines.

We urge the government, through the IATF-ZH, to speed up the tempo of rural development. And that’s what the IATF-ZH, chaired by Cabinet Secretary Karlo Alexei Nograles, is doing, according to reports.

It will be recalled that President Rodrigo Duterte signed Executive Order (EO) No. 101 on Jan. 10 last year that created the IATF-ZH, with the main task of formulating the country’s anti-hunger policies.

No less than President Duterte commended the IATF-ZH for working hard to achieve the national government’s goal of addressing hunger and poverty amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

Likewise, the Chief Executive extended his “warmest greetings” to the IATF-ZH as it launched the “National Food Policy (NFP)” to highlight the task force’s virtual first anniversary celebration last Monday.

I am pleased with the hard work and dedication of the men and women of IATF-ZH in coordinating the government efforts in addressing hunger and poverty across the country,” said Duterte.

In a message, the Chief Executive urged the IATF-ZH to continue working with other agencies in crafting programs and initiatives that will improve the lives of the poorest and marginalized sectors.

By launching the NFP, the task force, with Agriculture Secretary William Dar and Social Welfare Secretary Rolando Bautista as vice chair, is on track battling the twin problems of hunger and poverty.

Actually, the National Food Policy serves as our roadmap to attaining zero hunger in this natural resources rich but impoverished Southeast Asian nation of more than 100 million people.