Hontiveros backs P1.36-B increase in DSWD budget to meet 'looming hunger crisis'
MANILA, Philippines — A senator on Wednesday urged an increase of over P1 billion for the social welfare department's 2021 budget to address what she called the looming hunger crisis in the country.
"If we want to prevent an epidemic of malnutrition and stunted growth among young children, we have to empower the DSWD and provide the necessary budgetary increases for our nationwide feeding programs," Sen. Risa Hontiveros said.
The P1.36-billion budget hike for the Department of Social Welfare Development will be allocated to the government's supplemental feeding program in 2021. Hontiveros said funding the program "will help feed at least 1.94 million children, aged three to five years old, who are mostly undernourished and impoverished."
Last week, Senators Ralph Recto, Franklin Drilon and Kiko Pangilinan sounded the alarm over the increasing number of families who experienced hunger amid the COVID-19 crisis. Their warnings followed a recent Social Weather Stations survey which found that 7.6 million households went hungry at least once in the last three months.
"Just this August, [the United Nations Children Fund] reported that a third of Filipino children in the country experience stunted growth. The country is in fact among the top 10 countries worldwide with the highest number of stunted children," Hontiveros said Wednesday.
"And with the difficult economic situation now, the number of Filipino children who are hungry, malnourished and suffering from stunted physical growth will rise dramatically if government fails to act soon," she further warned.
The senator urged her colleagues "to help correct this situation and see to it that the government's feeding programs get the funding they need," noting that the proposed 2021 social welfare department budget pending before lawmakers does not include the additional P1.36 billion sought by the agency.
"The DSWD has allocated the same budget for the supplemental feeding program in 2021 compared to the current year: P 3.7 billion. We did not raise any funds to help hungry children. This is unacceptable, and we should do something about it, "she said.
"In the coming months, COVID-19 is not the only major threat to the health of Filipino youth today. We also need to take immediate action against widespread hunger that directly affects millions of homes nationwide." — Bella Perez-Rubio
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