What is hunger?

As defined by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, hunger is a condition in which people do not get enough food to provide the nutrients for fully productive, active and healthy lives.  It is a form of food insecurity and if prolonged and severe, hunger could lead to malnutrition characterized by stunting or failure to grow, mental and physical retardation, functional deterioration even collapse, and unproductive adult lives.

What is the hunger incidence of the country?

• Involuntary hunger as measured by the quarterly hunger surveys of the Social Weather Stations in 2010 revealed that many Filipinos experience hunger.
• Of the 81 provinces in the country, 49 provinces were considered food insecure based on a study by the National Nutrition Council.

Why do Filipinos go hungry?

Filipinos go hungry because they do not have food to eat or it is insufficient and they do not have money to buy food. 

Why the need to immediately address hunger?

• Every individual has the right to adequate food.  Thus,  it is the responsibility of the State to ensure the food security of its people.  Where hunger is prevalent, it is also a development issue hindering economic growth and keeping millions trapped in poverty.
• The Philippines is committed to eradicate all forms of human deprivation, including hunger and poverty, by 2015 through the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). 

What is the government’s response to hunger?
The Hunger-Mitigation Program (HMP) initially had two major components, the Food for School Program andTindahan Natin. 

1. Food for School Program (FSP) - involves the provision of 1 kilo of iron-fortified rice daily for 120 days to families who suffer from severe hunger through preschool and elementary school children and children in day care centers.
2. Tindahan Natin - ensures availability of basic commodities (e.g. rice and instant noodles) at lower prices for poor families.

Initial implementation of the FSP and Tindahan Natin covered the National Capital Region and 49 provinces classified as vulnerable to food insecurity and malnutrition under the Food Insecurity and Vulnerability Information and Mapping Systems (FIVIMS) developed by an inter-agency task force led by NNC. 

What is the Accelerated Hunger-Mitigation Program (AHMP)?

• Alarmed with the increasing hunger incidence, President Arroyo issued a directive in July 2006 for an all-out drive to cut hunger incidence by half within one year under the Accelerated Hunger-Mitigation Program.
• NNC was given oversight function to ensure the implementation of programs and projects within the AHMP framework.
• Hunger must be addressed in a holistic manner.  On the supply side, measures are along producing more food and efficient delivery of food to whom and where it is needed.  These are done through programs of the DA and DENR, among others.
• On the demand side, measures are along putting more money in poor peoples’ pockets, promoting good nutrition and managing population levels.
• AHMP is in turn, a component of the pump-priming strategy of government which seeks to
  • generate investments;
  • create jobs; and
  • provide basic services to poor families
• Executive Order 616 (April 2007) created the Anti-Hunger Task Force composed of 29 national government agencies to implement the component programs of AHMP.  The Secretary of Health, as Chair of the NNC Governing Board is also the Lead of the Anti-Hunger Task Force.
• These agencies include:
  • Department of Agrarian Reform
    • Presidential Agrarian Reform Council
  • Department of Agriculture
    • Bureau of Animal Industry
    • Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources
    • Bureau of Plant Industry
    • Coconut Industry Investment Fund
    • National Food Authority
    • National Irrigation Administration
    • Philippine Coconut Authority
  • Department of Budget and Management
  • Department of Environment and Natural Resources
    • · Philippine Forest Corporation
  • Department of Education
  • Department of Health
    • Commission on Population
    • National Nutrition Council
  • Department of the Interior and Local Government
    • Philippine National Police
  • Department of Labor and Employment
    • Technical Education and Skills Development Authority
  • Department of Public Works and Highways
  • Department of Social Welfare and Development
  • Department of Transportation and Communication
    • Philippine Ports Authority
  • National Economic and Development Authority
  • Office of the President
    • Commission on Higher Education
    • National Anti-Poverty Commission
    • Metro Manila Development Authority
  • People’s Credit and Finance Corporation
  • Armed Forces of the Philippines
  • Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines/National Secretariat for Social Action

 Which are the AHMP areas?

AHMP is implemented in groups of provinces categorized by priority.

Priority One Provinces (food-poorest) – based on subsistence incidence (2003 Family and Income Expenditure Survey)

Priority Two Provinces (poorest provinces) – based on 2003 FIES