Amid ongoing hunger issues in the Philippines, Abra Rep. Joseph Sto. Niño Bernos urged Congress on Wednesday to pass House Bill No. 3125, the Right to Adequate Food bill, to establish a national framework ensuring Filipinos have access to adequate food. Filed on August 5, the bill aims to achieve zero hunger in 10 years from its effectivity.
The legislation includes targets such as increasing land devoted to food production to 50 percent of all prime agricultural land in every region within 10 years. It also mandates tracking key indicators, including the percentage of developed ancestral lands, rural population with access to productive resources, budget shares for agriculture-related programs, and coverage of social transfers, nutrition supplements, and school feeding programs for marginalized groups.
The bill proposes creating a Commission on the Right to Adequate Food as the main policy-making and coordinating body to uphold the right to adequate food. The commission would develop a national food policy aligned with the Inter-Agency Task Force on Zero Hunger, implement programs to eradicate hunger and promote sustainable agriculture, monitor government initiatives, conduct impact assessments using human rights principles, and collaborate with agencies, civil society, and the private sector.
“The Right to Adequate Food bill is a necessary measure to help address our deep-rooted issues on food and hunger. Close to 38 million Filipinos are facing food insecurity, and that number will only increase if our priorities are misplaced,” Bernos said in a statement. He cited data from the Food and Agriculture Organization’s State of Food Security and Nutrition report, which shows 37.8 million Filipinos—or 32.9 percent of the population—experienced moderate or severe food insecurity from 2022 to 2024.
Bernos expressed optimism that under Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III’s pro-agriculture agenda, the House of Representatives will prioritize such laws. “With a Speaker who is intent on improving agriculture, I believe now is the time for us to rally to ensure that less and less of our fellow Filipinos go hungry,” he said.
