SENATOR Grace Poe urged Monday the government to take immediate response to address hunger and malnutrition in the country.
In her privilege speech Monday, Poe said the government must expand support to fill the poor Filipino's empty stomachs.
"Recent survey found that 43 percent or an estimated 9.3 million families considered the type of food they eat as food-poor," she said, citing that October's "World Food Day" is "no food day" to many Filipinos.
Poe insisted while the country's gross domestic product (GDP) increases, the number of "Gutom na Pilipino" also increases.
Based on a survey, Poe said 87 percent of households were found resorting to "cooking alternatives."
She said others make do with "ulam substitute," noting the top five alternatives -- soy sauce, bagoong, tomato, salt, and coffee.
In order to meet basic needs, she said a family of five must have P7,890 a month, P5, 513 of which is for basic food.
"P5,513 translates to P184 a day for a family of five, or P36 per day per person, or P12 per meal per person," Poe said.
She said hunger in the country tend to suffer Filipino children the most.
"Hunger, like war, punishes children most," Poe said. "Children bear the scars of hunger and poverty -- and some of the wounds never heal," she added.
Citing the study of Philippine Institute for Development Studies, Poe said 5.5 million out of 13.4 million of poor children below 18 were forced to look for jobs to become "rice winners."
She said the country would not be able to build the foundation of its future on emaciated bodies that are no longer in school.
She insisted that food must be put within the children's reach to attain their dreams.
"It is child-nutrient deficient. It needs to be fortified with more funds to combat malnutrition directly," Poe said.
In order to address hunger and poverty issue, Poe said P2.6 trillion proposed 2015 national budget will be debated upon condition.
She stressed P1.3 billion will be allocated to Department of Education (DepEd) to serve occasional meals to 530,000 severely wasted children, a fraction of the underweight, the wasted, and the stunted.
Poe also proposed allocation of P3.3 billion to Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for a supplementary feeding program for two million children daycare.
"The budget per meal in the DSWD program is about P13.60. The DepEd program allocated P16 per child," she said.
"Let us then create the budget space for programs that will fill the empty stomach of our young," Poe added.
Moreover, Poe said she is targeting next year to bring irrigation to a paltry 26,155 hectares for the first time, which will take half a century to develop full irrigation potential.
An appropriation of P8.8 billion for agriculture is also set for 2015.
Poe also sought to pass some bills filed in the Senate.
She said Senate Bill (SB) 79 or "Sustansiya sa Batang Pilipino Act of 2013" should be passed to provide a free nutri-meal programs to public school children.
She also sought to pass Senate Bill 2089 to promote corporate farming.
Poe said SB 1282, which seeks to encourage Filipinos to venture into agriculture by giving incentives, should also be considered.
She also stressed the need to pass the proposed National Land Use Act due to alarming greying of Philippine Agriculture.
Meanwhile, she said Filipinos should not only depend to the government but should also help on how to deter alarming raise of hunger and malnutrition in the country.
"The hunger should not only be relied upon the government. As a (Filipino) citizen, we should also know our role (in the society)," Poe said. (Sunnex)
