President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. renewed his commitment to fight hunger and poverty, emphasizing that no Filipino should ever go to bed hungry.
“Here at the Presentation of the Signed Enhanced Partnership Against Hunger and Poverty or EPAHP Joint Memorandum Circular, we gather to renew a promise: that no Filipino should go to bed hungry, and that no community will be overlooked in our fight against poverty,” the President said during the Presentation of the Signed Enhanced Partnership Against Hunger and Poverty (EPAHP) Joint Memorandum Circular in Malacañang on Monday.
“Through this, we can improve farm productivity, link farmers, fisherfolk, other food producers to larger markets, provide secure income—ensuring that our children, our mothers, our most vulnerable have access to nutritious food,” he said.
The President said all government agencies and local government units were directed and encouraged to support the program’s implementation to strengthen efforts toward zero hunger, food and nutrition security, and sustainable agriculture.
The signing of the Joint Memorandum Circular establishes a coalition of 34 partners—from national agencies to international organizations—each one committed to making zero hunger a reality in the Philippines, according to President Marcos.
He said guidelines will be created for EPAHP Program adoption and implementation by national and local governments, as well as partners, to ensure the harmonization of programs and projects.
According to President Marcos, providing credit and insurance assistance and directly connecting community-based organizations (CBOs) to government feeding programs and broader markets will be the core of the partnership’s approach.
As of May 2024, more than PhP200 million worth of sales and contracts between 122 CBOs and government feeding programs have been generated by strengthening those organizations.
The government is also leveraging technology through a Digital Mapping System developed by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (UNFAO), allowing connections between organizations and prospective markets, including the feeding programs of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
A 14-member EPAHP Steering Committee, chaired by the Secretary of the DSWD, will be formed to ensure essential leadership, coordination, and accountability for the continuous and effective implementation of the measures under the EPAHP.
The partnership aimed at combating hunger and poverty was initially launched in 2016 when the DSWD, Department of Agriculture (DA) , and the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) united to start the Partnership Against Hunger and Poverty.
The program, expanded in 2019, evolved into the current EPAHP. | PND
