Secretary Karlo Alexei Nograles, Zero Hunger Task Force head, stressed the need to address hunger that has worsened with the COVID-19 pandemic during the ceremonial turnover of 2,000 meals at the Bacolod City Government Center today, January 25.
“COVID-19 destroyed the economy, jobs and raised the level of hunger,” Nograles said.
Nograles and Marie Angeles, executive director of Ronald McDonald House Charities, turned over the cooked meals to Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia for 15 barangays, two charitable organizations, and a quarantine center.
The beneficiaries are selected families of Barangays 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 13, 14, 16, 35, Banago, Singcang-Aiport, and Pahanoccoy, St. Mary’s Home for the Aged, Holy Infant Nursery Foundation, and a quarantine center of Bacolod.
“To those who will receive the food packs, it will mean a lot to them,” said, Leonardia, who noted that Bacolod is the first LGU-beneficiary in the Visayas, among the 25 local government units chosen to take part in the initiative.
Nograles stressed the importance of collaboration between the national and local governments and the private sector in the fight against hunger.
“Similar to our fight against COVID-19, it should be the same with our fight against hunger,” he said.
Nograles also highlighted the need for more sustainable strategies to combat hunger. They should not only give food packs but also help the farmers and the fishermen, he said.
“Every day, more and more Filipino families suffer from malnutrition and hunger. Especially during this pandemic, daily wage earners have lost their jobs and have been struggling to provide food for their families”, Angeles said.
She quoted a recent Social Weather Station survey that said 7.6 million families are experiencing hunger in the past three months.
To help address the problem, the Zero Hunger Task Force, headed by Nograles, launched Pilipinas Kontra Gutom to help eradicate hunger, and ensure quality food to all Filipinos by 2030.
With the support from the private sector, like McDonald’s, Metrobank, Coca-Cola, Dole, and San Miguel, a systemic and sustainable solution is being built to address this challenge, Nograles said.
The McDonald’s Kindness Kitchen is an initiative wherein cooked meals are served to communities affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, recent typhoons and disasters. It started in March last year, at the onset of the community lockdown, initially serving meals to frontliners, volunteer groups, and vulnerable communities, he said.
The Kindness Kitchen has more than 50 corporate partners and has served more than 400,000 meals in more than 1,100 barangays, hospitals, and quarantine centers.
Nograles and Jomar Fleras, Rise Against Hunger Philippines (RAHP) executive director, also visited the Mingo plant of the Negrense Volunteers for Change Foundation in Bacolod City this morning.
RAHP has long been a partner of NVC Foundation in bringing nutritional resources to those who need them most, NVC president Millie Kilayko said.
NVC Mingo Meals production plant manager Luis Jose Araneta briefed Nograles on its operations.
A Mingo meal is a nutritious instant complementary food made of rice, “mongo” (mung beans), and “malunggay” (moringa).
Nograles also visited one of the areas of RAHP’s Good Food Grocers Program in Bacolod.
Meanwhile, Nograles, in an interview, said efforts are being made to stabilize the rising prices of pork.
They are studying how to put a price cap because they do not want to disrupt market forces, he said.*