EVERYBODY agrees that there is now that urgent need to eradicate hunger and ensure food security as hard-hitting President Rodrigo trDuterte approaches the end of his six-year presidency.
With a promise to wipe out illegal drugs, graft and corruption in state offices and criminality, President Duterte assumed the top political post of the land at 12 noon on June 30, 2016.
The administration is now under pressure to come up with measures, programs and initiatives aimed at addressing hunger and food security before Duterte leaves Malacañang.
Last Friday, the government launched twin initiatives to avoid hunger and secure food for every Filipino’s table during the culmination of World Food Day at the Department of Agriculture (DA) compound.
Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, a Mindanaoan like Duterte, said the goal of the National Food Policy (NFP) is to end hunger in the Philippines “within this generation’s lifetime.”
Aside from the NFP, Nograles also led the virtual launch of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Food Security and Nutrition (FSN) Roadmap.
We agree with Nograles, head of Task Force Zero Hunger, that the two initiatives underscore the government’s commitment to address involuntary hunger, food security, stunting and mortality.
Note that in the recent Global Hunger Index, impoverished Philippines, a natural resources-rich Southeast Asian nation, ranked 70th out of 117 countries at a level classified as serious.
Today, however, with President Duterte at the helm of the government, there should be happy reasons to expect the best in the remaining 20 months of his six-year administration.
Dapat lang!
