CARTOON BY: AARON PAUL C. CARIL
EDITORIAL
Involuntary hunger at 27.2%: Let the best man come forward
A recent national survey by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) and Stratbase has painted a sobering picture of hunger in the Philippines. Conducted between March 15 and March 20, 2025, the survey revealed that 27.2 percent of Filipino families, approximating 7.5 million households, experienced involuntary hunger at least once in the past three months. This means that over a quarter of our countrymen, including innocent children and vulnerable elderly, have had the agonizing experience of hunger and having nothing to eat. Alarmingly, this figure marks the highest recorded instance of hunger since the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in September 2020, when it reached 30.7 percent. The current rate also represents a significant increase of 6 percentage points from the 21.2 percent recorded in February 2025, indicating a rapidly worsening situation.
The issue of hunger is not a new one in the Philippines. The SWS has been consistently surveying hunger rates since 1998. While hunger rates have fluctuated over the decades, there has been no long-term decline. From 2006 to 2014, the annual average hunger rate remained persistently high, often nearing 20 percent. While there was some improvement between 2015 and 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a sharp increase in 2020. Although hunger subsided somewhat in the following years, it has been on the rise again since the latter half of 2023. The latest figure of 27.2% underscores a worrying trend that requires serious attention and effective solutions.
The causes of hunger and food insecurity in the Philippines are multifaceted. Decades of inconsistent policies, inadequate infrastructure, and challenges within the local agricultural sector have significantly impacted our food systems. Weak market linkages that prevent farmers from directly accessing major distribution channels, thus leading to the involvement of costly middlemen, have also been identified as a core barrier to both agricultural profitability and food affordability. Furthermore, factors such as rising inflation erode the purchasing power of families, making basic food items increasingly unaffordable. The vulnerability of our food supply chain and agricultural productivity to the increasing threats of climate change and natural disasters further exacerbates the problem.
The government has implemented various interventions to address hunger and food insecurity. For instance, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is currently implementing the Walang Gutom Program (WGP), formerly the Food Stamp Program, which provides Php3,000 monthly food aid to 300,000 food-poor households nationwide. The DSWD also operates the Walang Gutom Kitchen in Pasay City, serving free meals to those in need. Additionally, programs like the WGP Kusinero Cook-Off Challenge aim to improve public nutrition through education and encouraging healthy meal preparation. While these efforts provide crucial immediate relief to some, the continuous rise in hunger incidence, as highlighted by the latest SWS survey, suggests that current interventions may not be sufficient to address the scale and root causes of the problem effectively.
Addressing the deeply entrenched issue of hunger requires more than just short-term assistance. The government must institute bold, systemic, and long-term reforms. These reforms include prioritizing investments in agricultural infrastructure, promoting technology and data-driven policies to enhance productivity and resilience, and focusing on crop diversification, farm clustering, and mechanization. Strengthening market linkages to eliminate unnecessary intermediaries and ensuring that farmers receive fair prices for their produce is also critical. Furthermore, a comprehensive food security strategy must involve public-private partnerships in post-harvest facilities, logistics, storage, and research and development. Shifting the mindset towards efficiency and innovation within the agricultural sector is paramount to achieving sustainable food security.
As the nation looks ahead, the urgency of addressing involuntary hunger cannot be overstated. The rising numbers serve as a stark reminder that access to food is a fundamental right that is not being adequately met for a significant portion of our population. In the upcoming elections, it is imperative that Filipino voters carefully consider the platforms and track records of candidates. We must support leaders who clearly understand food insecurity’s complexities and offer well-defined, actionable, and sustainable strategies to end hunger. The future well-being of millions of Filipino families depends on choosing leaders who will prioritize food security and implement the necessary reforms to ensure that no one is left to suffer the indignity of involuntary hunger.