Commentary: Responding to plight of starving Filipinos
Food is a basic necessity essential for nutrition, health and well-being. It directly affects one’s fulfillment of duties and responsibilities, performance of tasks and fulfillment of one’s desires.
However, food supply is a limited resource and with the pandemic, food scarcity remains to escalate to unprecedented measures. Hunger and malnutrition grow even worse particularly to those whose capacity to avail food and other basic commodities are crippled as a result of economic downturn.
We are indeed living in difficult times. What are we to expect for the coming years? Do we just sit back and let nature heal itself so that sooner or later everything will revert back to normal? Have our hopes and aspirations come to a halt, then?
Fortunately, initiatives and proactive movements are present. Though incapable of completely eradicating the pandemic, these sought to alleviate the suffering, give aid to those who are in need and to help those who are embittered by food scarcity.
The memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Philippine Army and Armed Forces of the Philippines (PA-AFP) represented by Lt. Gen. Cirilito A. Sobejana and the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), represented by its chairman, Manuel V. Pangilinan, is an excellent initiative to combat hunger, malnutrition and issues on food security in the country.
It acknowledges a joint effort of both government and private enterprises which seeks not profit but toils for the betterment and welfare of the society.
Accordingly, both parties are at the forefront of making a great change as they seek the best solutions to combat the urgent and serious problems of food supply. This partnership, formalized through the MOU, hopefully serves as an instrument in building our nation.
While our nation is abundant in food and rich in natural resources, why is it that a large portion of our population starve, even to the point of malnourishment? Someone can easily think that the joint efforts of AFP and PBSP are to produce crops and food supply for food distribution but that this is easier said than done.
Food supplies may be abundant but it requires tenuous efforts like planning, logistics and coordinated plans so that producers will benefit nonetheless. Food supply is concentrated in our country.
Hence, MOU laid out its considerations on technical working teams for better implementation and proper distribution of food supplies.
The AFP and PBSP came out with strict measures and coordinated efforts to promote charity works through the alleviation of hunger and food scarcity. Their solution is national in coverage and it is multi-sectoral. They are to ensure that most will benefit from MOU.
The MOU will greatly contribute to the long-term vision for the Philippines entitled “Ambisyon Natin 2040”. This long-term vision has a prospect of giving a stable and comfortable lifestyle among our Filipino brethren and accordingly MOU is a great leap in establishing a Matatag, Maginhawa, at Panatag na Buhay as envisioned by “Ambisyon Natin 2040”.
Through food security and stability, MOU contributes to the wholeness of “Ambisyon Natin 2040”. Filipinos will feel secured not just with the prospects of “Ambisyon Natin 2040” but also with the joint efforts of AFP and PBSP as well.
Lastly, the MOU as it pursues its aims and goals, should not be treated as a letter of contract but should be seen in the light of the spirit of charity, service and love. “Ambisyon Natin 2040” is attainable through these core values which make it a reality.
Gil Ezekiel Senanin is from the Army Governance and Strategy Management Office.
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