Friday, March 29, 2024

Solon Pushes For Bill To End Hunger By 2030

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Solon Pushes For Bill To End Hunger By 2030

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A party-list lawmaker on Thursday pushed for a measure seeking to eliminate hunger and make affordable healthy food accessible to all Filipinos.

Anakalusugan Rep. Ray Florence Reyes filed House Bill 2189, or the Zero Hunger bill, in line with President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr.’s policy pronouncements to exhaust all efforts to ensure food security in the country.

The World Bank, the World Trade Organization, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, and the World Food Programme have warned of a global food crisis affecting poor and developing countries.

The bill, Reyes said, calls for a whole-of-government approach to eradicate the problem by 2030, as it presses for the re-examination and calibration of government policies in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

“It is our duty to address, not just hunger incidence but also the lack of healthy food available to all at a fair price point,” Reyes said. “Freedom from hunger is a fundamental entitlement of every Filipino, but it remains a significant challenge in the country. Hunger is inconsistent with human dignity and rights; thus, it should be eliminated.”

The measure proposes the creation of the Commission on the Right to Adequate Food, which will be the primary policy-making and coordinating body of all efforts towards addressing hunger and collateral issues.

The proposed commission’s main objectives are to guarantee a stable and sustainable food supply for current and future generations, ensure affordable food, secure adequate nutrition, and assure food safety and consumer protection.

Food and nutrition education will also be included in the school curriculum.

The bill also targets to allocate 50 percent of primary agricultural lands and 100 percent in coastal areas for food production to achieve the goal.

“Our geographical landscape gives us an advantage in furthering our vision. We have an equal part of land to farm, and aquatic resources to harvest. It is just a matter of how we make proper use of these resources,” Reyes said.

The bill has been referred to the House Committee on Human Rights. (PNA)

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