Arroyo releases P1 billion for anti-poverty drive

from The Sun Star

PRESIDENT Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ordered the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to release P1 billion to accelerate the government’s hunger-mitigation and anti-poverty program.

Arroyo, during the Anti-Hunger Task Force at the Manila Hotel, said the additional funds would be distributed to government agencies that are directly involved in the implementation of the government’s hunger mitigation program.

She said the funding would ensure continued food production and faster delivery of supply at an affordable cost.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, chairman of the National Nutrition Council (NNC), said the P1 billion would go to the sustaining of programs like the Food for School program, the Tindahan Natin, the Barangay Food Terminals and other similar programs aimed at addressing hunger.

Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap said the concerned agencies would still meet to determine exactly how the P1 billion would be subdivided to the concerned agencies and programs.

Government agencies involved in the program are the agriculture, environment, social welfare, transportation, public works, agrarian reform, local government and education departments; the National Irrigation Administration (NIA); National Food Authority (NFA); Philippine Ports Authority (PPA); Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP); Philippine National Police (PNP); and local government units.

The President said her administration is committed to eradicating hunger and through a study conducted by the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) last year, they came out with the conclusion that “hunger stems from: first, limited supply of affordable food; and second, no money or means to buy food.”

Arroyo said through this study, the Neda came up with the Hunger Mitigation Program Framework that focused on ensuing the supply of affordable food, extending assistance to those who are hungry, constructing and repairing of farm to market roads, promoting backyard vegetables to farming, providing microfinance assistance and increased wages under regional wage board.

She said they divided this program into the supply and demand sides where the mitigating measures for the supply side include: increasing food production through productivity programs including livestock, crops, marine regeneration like mangrove and coastal fishery development, farm family like the “Gulayan ng Masa” and irrigation.

Also part of the supply aspect is the enhancement of the efficiency of logistics and delivery of food items to the end consumer through more farm-to-market roads constructions, full use of the Roll-On Roll-Off (RoRo) ports and terminals, increasing the construction of more Barangay Food Terminals and Tindahan Natin stores and the strengthening of school feeding programs.

On the demand side, the mitigating measures are: the putting more money in poor people's pockets through aggressive micro-financing programs, more employment opportunities, livelihood and training seminars and the development of "other value-adding products" such as coconut for coconut coir and virgin coconut oil; promotion of good nutrition through social marketing information seminars; and managing the population through responsible parenthood.

On the suicide of an 11-year-old girl in Davao City due to hunger, Duque dismissed this as an isolated case.

He said they would have to look at the circumstances that led to her death but it is rare especially for children to be forced to suicide because of extreme hunger.

Duque said he would understand more if the child has some serious problem or even illness that sometimes force an individual to commit suicide.