Residents of Bgy. 105 in Tondo, Manila redeem food items from the Kadiwa Market set up by the Department of Agriculture in line with the Walang Gutom 2027: Food Stamp Program on May 28, 2024. The Department of Social Welfare and Development, supported by the World Food Program and the Asian Development Bank, distributed food stamps worth P3,000 to each family, which were then used to buy different items in the market. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File

MANILA — The Philippines ranked as among the most food insecure nation in Southeast Asia from 2021-2023, think tank Ibon Foundation said.

Quoting data from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, Ibon said the Philippines ranked first with around 51 million Filipinos experiencing moderate or severe food insecurity based on absolute numbers.

If looked at percentages relative to each country's population, the Philippines ranked third, next to Timor Leste and Cambodia.

A total of 44.1 percent of the Philippine population experienced food insecurity, next to Timor Leste's 53.7 percent and Cambodia's 50.5 percent.

More Filipinos see themselves as poor: SWS survey

"Pinapakita niya sa pinaka batayang pangangailangan, hirap na hirap pa rin ang karaniwang Pilipino na makabili ng sapat na pagkain para sa kanya na minimum na pangangailangan," Ibon Foundation Executive Director Sonny Africa said.

(This shows that even on the most basic of needs, ordinary Filipinos still find it hard to buy food for their daily requirements.)

Africa said food insecurity is measured by food prices and the ability of Filipinos to purchase their daily needs.

Even if food prices in the Philippines is relatively low compared to other nations in Southeast Asia, Filipinos still find it hard to buy adequate food for their families.

"Pati ang murang pagkain, hindi nila kaya. Hindi lang sya sa food availability o magkano siya, depende rin ito kung may kakayanan ang bawat Pilipino na bumili," Africa added.

(They cannot buy even with cheaper food. It's not just food availability and the prices, but the purchasing power of the Filipino.)

Africa said the Philippines showed similar numbers compared to pandemic levels.

Pulse Asia: Nearly 3 in 4 Pinoys want gov't to address inflation

FOOD INSECURITY

On UN World Food Day, various militant groups trooped to the Central Office of the Department of Agriculture, bringing empty pots and pans to signify lack of affordable food in the country.

The Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas said that while President Marcos committed to bringing food security in the country, a lot of Filipinos remain hungry. This, they said, will be the biggest legacy of the Marcos administration.

Groups oppose privatization of public markets

However, the Department of Agriculture said in a statement that it recognizes the importance of food, which is "a basic essential integral in human life".

The agency said that "access to adequate and nutritious food is not a privilege but a fundamental human right."

"This is the forty-third successive year in which the Filipino people have joined 149 other nations around the world in the observance of World Food Day,” Usec. Roger Navarro of the Department of Agriculture said.

“Our fight against hunger is one of the enduring global human rights causes of our time. It is a battle fought on a worldwide front—and we are fortunate to have allies in organizations like the FAO fighting the same battle with us,” he added.