CABINET Secretary Karlo Nograles, concurrent Task Force Zero Hunger chairman, yesterday said that while the number of Filipinos who experienced hunger had dropped by almost half, there are still some four million families who are still hungry.
In a statement, Nograles said there is no room for complacency despite lower hunger figures.
A November Social Weather Station survey said 16 percent of Filipinos or an estimated four million families experienced hunger in the last three months, down from 30.7 percent or 7.6 million families in September.
He said the government hopes to at least bring the level down to pre-coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic levels or around 8.8 percent soon.
Nograles, in an interview with dzRH yesterday, said the lower hunger figures should encourage the government to work harder to reduce the number of hungry families to zero.
He added that the reduced number indicates that government efforts are working and that it may be able to eventually achieve its target of zero-hunger in the country.
“This is a big improvement from past surveys. We will not be complacent, however. We are in fact encouraged to push further and work harder,” he said.
Nograles expects the food and nutrition outlook for Filipino families to continue to improve as the different programs under Task Force Hunger are rolled out.
The government has been working with different private groups and foundations “to form a lasting and effective public-private partnership that aims to achieve food security for Filipino families.”
“Our approach is comprehensive. We aim to address food production, food distribution and accessibility, and combat malnutrition both in urban areas and in the countryside,” Nograles said.
