In times of crisis as we are facing this current year 2026 as a result of the U.S.-Iran war and the possible El Nino phenomenon during the second half of the year, we should consider the advice given in the Comprehensive Food Security Framework described in the book edited by Drs. Llanto and Basilio about taking a “dual track” approach. The first track consists in a package of measures that address the immediate needs of those who are unable to meet food and nutrition requirements. These are those who belong to the 16 % or more of the population who are below the poverty line. The second track is about medium- and long-term interventions to ensure food security for the country and for the poor households, especially. Under the first track are emergency food assistance; payment of living wages; nutrition interventions; cash transfers and other social protection instruments; access to inputs; and food price policy interventions.

              This first track fulfills a humanitarian role, especially during disasters or pandemics. It must, however, go beyond using emergency assistance to address immediate issues of hunger and deprivation. There is an urgent need to expand social and food safety programs for households who experience a considerable decline in incomes. For example, there are tourist destinations like Baguio City, Boracay and Siargao that experience a precipitous drop in the number of tourists and consequently this year are hosting empty hotels and restaurants. Those natives of these tourism sites may find themselves unemployed or unable to sell their services or wares and could easily join the ranks of the very poor (from being formerly part of the lower-middle income segment of the population before the crisis). From studies and surveys of the late Dr. Emil Antonio—the guru of family income studies, I would estimate that today’s threshold family income for a typical family of four (parents and two children) would be at least P30,000 monthly needed for a minimum of physical comfort and human dignity. I am afraid that the widespread loss of employment and other sources of earnings this year will increase the number of families who would not be able reach this threshold and would, therefore, require some emergency help.

              Social protection schemes which are integral instruments in building a country’s human capital—a distinctive competitive advantage of the Philippines in the global economy where practically all developed countries are suffering from rapid ageing and population decline—are very important elements of the first track. The CFSF emphasizes that social protection schemes can “improve children’s level of nutrition, cognitive development, school attainments, and future labor productivity, thereby enhancing earning potentials and promoting development. Here, it is paramount that both the business sector and civil society partner with the Government in emergency feeding programs for the hungry and undernourished, especially children.

              In this regard, let me cite some of the leading initiatives which address this track of food security. The Walang Gutom Kitchen (Pasay City), located at the Nasdale Bldg. on FB Harrison, is the country’s first large-scale public-private soup kitchen launched by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in partnership with hotels and restaurants in the National Capital Region. It serves hot meals to the public during the time period of 6 a.m. until supplies last. Some of the largest five-star hotels in the Metro Manila area contribute their daily surplus food to this kitchen. The food security crisis this year should prompt the DSWD to partner with hotels and restaurants in other major cities like Metro Cebu, Metro Davao, Iloilo, Bacolod, Baguio and other highly urbanized regions to replicate this Walam Gutom Kitchen model.

              Another initiative worth replicating (and indeed, the Baguio Business Club is in the process of organizing a parallel activity in Baguio City) is the Philippine Food Bank Foundation which was founded by top business executive, Dr. Jose Sandejas Jr., and which I now have the honor of chairing. The PFBF is a non-profit operating out of Taguig, Rizal, that partners with hotels, restaurants, food manufacturers and farmers to redistribute surplus food to grassroot communities (including some IPs), parishes and orphanages. It started twelve years ago in Metro Manila and since then has expanded its operations to Cebu, Iloilo, Bacolod, Davao, Cagayan de Oro, Angeles and San Fernando, Pampanga. It has partnered with an increasing number of restaurants (both local and multinational), and hotels. As mentioned above, it is about to sign an MOU with the newly organized Baguio Business Club to help the latter launch its own version of the food bank in this leading tourism destination which is one of the hardest hit by the ongoing economic crisis.

              Another private initiative to address the food security challenge is the Good Food Grocer (Taguig and Bacolod) which is operated by Rise Against Hunger Philippines (RAHP). The food banks operated by RAHP act as franchises distributing subsidized, highly nutritious food to nutritiously at-risk families. RAHP also manages Good Farm to ensure a steady supply of fresh produce. In fact, there are a number of high-income professionals who have as hobbies growing high-value vegetables and fruits, often times using such high-technologies as hydroponics, AI and drones. These well-to-do people can donate their produce to the hungry.

              The food crisis this year would be a good occasion to ensure that the first track in addressing food insecurity should be making whatever food is available accessible to the hungry, especially children. Enhanced and sustained social protection schemes, e.g. cash transfers, and nutrition interventions can help poor, food-insecure households to have better access to food and nutrition. The effectiveness of conditional cash transfers (CCTs) in addressing a social policy objective has been demonstrated in the Government’s “Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program” (4Ps). The country has legislated the provision of CCT as an instrument to foster education, health, and nutrition among the underprivileged. A 2015 PIDS study by Reyes and colleagues showed the efficacy of the 4Ps program in increasing school participation rate among children ages 6 to 14 by 3.0 percentage points, enabling around 100,000 children to finish at least elementary level education. Another PIDS study indicated that the CCT program shows desirable impacts on most of the target education and health outcomes of children, pregnant women, and household welfare.

              Unfortunately, the food security crisis this year is being experienced in an atmosphere of a great lack of trust in government as a result of the flood control corruption scandal and the even more scandalous behaviors of some leading legislators in the Senate. We have to point out that the benefits of the CCT program have been well documented. It has been demonstrated that cash transfers can alleviate the food burden and nutrition problem of the poor and other vulnerable groups like people with disabilities (PWDs), small farmers and fisherfolks (SFF) and others. For comments, my email address is bernardo.villegas@uap.asia