NINETEENTH CONGRESS OF THE ) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
)
First Regular Session 
)
’ • lOfftcr of tl)r ^
rctnrj>
72 JUL13 PI 72
SENATE
s. no.497
RHCEI^lDB'..
Introduced by Senator Loren B. Legarda
AN ACT
PROVIDING A FRAMEWORK TO PROTECT AND PROMOTE THE RIGHT TO
ADEQUATE FOOD
EXPLANATORY NOTE
According to the 2021 Global Hunger Index, the Philippines ranks 68th out of 
116 countries, with a score of 16.8, which means that the country suffers from a level 
of hunger that is moderate.
The Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey revealed that 3.1 million families or 
a total of 12.2% of Filipinos experienced hunger in the first quarter of 2022. The 
majority of these families are reportedly in Metro Manila. The report added that it 
has been the highest in Metro Manila in 23 out of 97 surveys since July 1998.
In 2021, the World Bank reports that Philippines is 5th among countries with 
the highest prevalence of stunting in the East Asia and Pacific region, and is among 
the ten (10) countries globally with the highest number of stunted children. DOST's 
(Department of Science and Technology) Food and Nutrition Research Institute 
(FNRI) also reported in 2019 that one (1) in every five (5) children under two (2) 
years old are stunted; and that 64.1% of total Filipino households are food insecure.
The need to reduce, if not eliminate, malnutrition and hunger in the country 
cannot be overemphasized. To have physical, social, and economic access to safe.


nutritious, and sufficient food at all times that meet every individual's dietary needs
and food preferences is a recognized right by the United Nation's Committee on 
World Food Security.
The right to adequate food is a protected human right under the 1987 
Constitution. Furthermore, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights provides 
that everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well- 
being of himself and of his family, including food."1 Pervasive hunger and 
starvation is a human rights violation.
In this regard, this bill aims to reduce, if not eliminate, hunger and 
malnutrition and likewise ensure an increased food production across the country. 
Towards this end, a Commission on the Right to Adequate Food shall be created as 
the primary policy-making and coordinating body to ensure the full exercise of the 
right to adequate food.
In view of the foregoing, the approval of this bill is earnestly sought.
LOREN LEGARDA
1 Art. XXV (1) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights


NINETEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session
)
SENATE 
S. No.497
oU\v: 
Ttarp
72 JUL 13 PI :22
ms-' y1^-
Introduced by Senator Loren B. Legarda
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AN ACT
PROVIDING A FRAMEWORK TO PROTECT AND PROMOTE THE RIGHT TO
ADEQUATE FOOD
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled:
Section 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Right to Adequate Food
Act"
Sec. 2. Declaration of Policy. - Consistent with the principles enshrined in the 
Constitution as well as the provisions of the International Covenant on Economic, 
Social and Cultural Rights, Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the 
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, to 
which the Philippines is a State Party, it is hereby declared the policy of the State to 
guarantee the right to adequate food.
Adequate food is not a matter of charity, but a legal entitlement. Hunger is 
inconsistent with human dignity and human rights, and must be eliminated. 
Towards this end, the State shall provide for a framework to address and eliminate 
hunger in an organized manner, and protect the right of the people to adequate food. 
Sec. 3. Definitions. - As used in this Act:
a. Dietary needs refer to a mix of nutrients for physical and mental growth, 
development and maintenance, and physical activity, that follow human 
physiological needs at all stages throughout the life cycle, and according to 
gender and occupation;
b. 
Food refers to solid, liquid, and semi-liquid nourishixient, as well as


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drinking water, and when taken into the body serves to nourish, build and 
repair tissues, supply energy, or regulate body processes;
c. Food blockade refers to an act of cutting off food supplies from a particular 
area by force, either in part or totally;
d. Food emergency refers to a situation in which access to food is endangered, 
such as that caused by natural events like drought, floods, storms, 
earthquakes, or crop failures resulting from pests or diseases; or by a human 
agency such as internal or international armed conflict; or infectious disease 
outbreaks or pandemics, such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome 
(SARS) and Coronavirus 19 disease (COVID-19);
e. Food sovereignty refers to the right of peoole to healthy and culturally 
appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable 
methods, and their right to define their food and agriculture systems, putting- 
the aspirations and needs of those who produce, distribute, and consume food 
at the heart of food systems and policies rather than the demands of markets 
and corporations;
f. Hunger refers to a condition in which people do not get enough food to eat 
to provide the necessary nutrients for fully productive, active, and healthy 
living due to the unavailability and inaccessibility of food, which may be (a) 
acute, such as during a major disaster when food supply channels are cut, (b) 
chronic, when people are regularly not getting enough food to conduct an 
active life for a long time, or (c) a condition of starvation, which is not having 
enough food of any sort to eat, or (d) undernourisliment, which is having 
enough food to eat, but of inadequate quality; and
g. Vulnerable groups refer to those who are particularly disadvantaged such as 
indigenous peoples, ethnic, linguistic, or religious minorities, persons with 
disabilities, persons living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) or 
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), refugees and 
internally displaced people, elderly, and women, including pregnant and 
lactating mothers and children, particularly those from zero to twenty-three 
(23) months of age.
Sec. 4. Progressive Realization of the Right to Adequate Food. - Every person has


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the right to have regular, permanent, and unrestricted access, either directly or by 
means of financial purchases, to quantitatively and qualitatively adequate, sufficient, 
and safe food, corresponding to the cultural traditions of the people to which a 
consumer belongs, and which ensure physical and mental, individual and collective, 
fulfilling and dignified life, free of fear.
The right to adequate food is realized when every man, woman, and child, 
alone or in a community with others, has physical and economic access at all times to 
adequate food, or means for its procurement. The right to adequate food must not be 
interpreted in a narrow or restrictive sense, which equates it with a minimum 
package of calories, proteins, and other specific nutrients. The right to adequate food 
must be realized progressively.
Sec. 5. Core Content on the Right to Adequate Food. - The core content of the right 
to adequate food includes the concepts of food availability and accessibility, which 
must be in a quantity and quality sufficient to satisfy the dietary needs of 
individuals, and in sustainable ways, and do not interfere with the enjoyment of 
other human rights.
Sec 6. Food Adequacy Standard. - Central to the realization of the right to 
adequate food is the standard of adequacy in terms of quality, quantity, and cultural 
acceptability, sustainability of food availability, and access.
The standard of adequacy includes a number of factors that must be 
considered in determining whether particular foods or diets that are accessible can 
be considered the most appropriate under given circumstances. Sustainability is 
intrinsically linked to the concept of adequate food or food security, implying that 
food must be accessible to both present and future generations.
The concept of adequacy to a large extent is determined by prevailing social, 
economic, cultural, climatic, ecological and other conditions, while 
sustainability incorporates long-term availability and accessibility.
Sec. 7. Availability Standard. - Food must be available for feeding oneself 
directly from productive land or other natural resources, or for well-functioning 
distribution, processing, and market systems that can move food from the site of 
production to where it is needed by demand.
Sec. 8. Accessibility Standard. - Food accessibility is both economic, which refers


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to the acquisition pattern or entitlement through which people procure their food, 
and physical, where food must be accessible to everyone.
Economic accessibility means that the personal or household financial cost 
associated with the acquisition of food for an adequate diet should be at a level such 
that the attainment and satisfaction of other basic needs are not threatened, or 
compromised. Economic accessibility applies to any acquisition pattern or 
entitlement through which people procure their food, and is a measure of the extent 
to which it is satisfactory for the enjoyment of the right to adequate food.
Physical accessibility means that adequate food must be accessible to 
everyone, including physically vulnerable individuals, such as infants and young 
children, elderly people, those belonging to the informal sector, the physically 
disabled, the terminally ill, and persons with persistent medical problems, including 
the mentally ill. Victims of natural disasters, people living in disaster-prone areas 
and other especially disadvantaged groups, and many indigenous peoples groups 
whose access to their ancestral lands is threatened, need special attention and 
priority consideration with respect to accessibility of food.
Socially vulnerable groups such as landless persons and other particularly 
impoverished segments of the population may need attention through special 
programs.
Sec. 9. Cultural or Consumer Acceptability. - In providing food, there is a need to 
consider, as far as possible, the perceived non-nutrient-based values attached to 
food, and the consumer's concerns about the accessible food supplies.
Food must be free from adverse substances to ensure food safety. Measures 
must be taken to maintain, adapt or strengthen dietary diversity and appropriate 
consumption and feeding patterns, including optimal breastfeeding, to ensure that 
changes in availability and access to food supply do not negatively affect dietary 
composition and intake. Care must also be taken to identify and avoid or destroy 
naturally occurring toxins.
Freedom from adverse substances implies that the requirements for food 
safety and a range of protective measures are implemented to prevent contamination 
of foodstuff through adulteration, bad environmental hygiene, or inappropriate 
handling a different stages throughout the food chain.


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Sec. 10. Conditions for the Exercise of the Right to Adequate Food. - Every person 
has the right to live in conditions that shall enable the person to:
a. Acquire food directly from productive land or other natural resources; or 
rely on well-functioning food distribution, processing, and market systems, or both;
b. Financially acquire a sufficient quantity and quality of food and to satisfy 
other basic needs;
c. Be safe from the risk of losing access to food as a consequence of sudden 
shocks, like an economic or climatic crisis, or one that is brought about by internal 
displacements of people, or cyclical events such as seasonal food insecurity;
d. 
Have the opportunity of good food utilization through access to an 
adequate diet, clean water, sanitation, and health care and to reach a state of 
nutritional well-being, where all physiological needs are met; and
e. Access food or diet that is the most appropriate under given circumstances, 
in terms of their nutritional value and cultural acceptability.
Every infant, girl, and boy, has a right to adequate food and optimal health, 
development and nutrition adequate for their age, growth, and development.
Every woman has a right to adequate food and adequate nutrition during 
pregnancy and lactation.
Unless it is provided by law or is necessary for a compelling public interest, 
and is compatible with the nature of the right to adequate food, there is no limitation 
on the right to adequate food.
Sec. 11. Freedom from Hunger. - Every person has a right to be free from 
hunger. Every person suffering from hunger or under nutrition, or at risk of 
suffering from hunger or under nutrition is entitled to a minimum amount of food 
according to one's age, sex, health status, and occupation, as provided for in Section 
19 of this Act.
Sec. 12. Principles. - The provisions of this Act are founded on the rights-based 
principles of participation, accountability, non-discrimination, transparency, human 
dignity, empowerment, and rule of law, and are consistent with the progressive 
realization of the right to adequate food.
Sec. 13. Non-discrimination. - Any distinction, exclusion, or restriction made on 
the basis of race, color, sex, age, language, religion, political or another opinion.


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national or social origin, property, birth, or other status, which has the effect or 
purpose of impairing or limiting the capacity of an individual to exercise the right to 
adequate food, is unlawful and shall be sanctioned in accordance with the law.
All forms of discrimination against women with regard to the right to 
adequate food, including less favorable treatment of women for reasons of 
pregnancy and maternity, shall be eliminated and prevented. The equality of 
opportunities between men and women shall be promoted.
The prohibition of discrimination shall not include government action to 
remedy past effects of discrimination against particular individuals or groups and to 
promote equality of opportunities with regard to the right to adequate food.
Sec. 14. Governmental Obligations. - The State, as the primary duty bearer, has 
the duty to respect, protect and fulfill the right to adequate food and maintain food 
sovereignty, in accordance with the conditions provided under Section 10 of this Act.
The State has the core obligation to take the necessary action to mitigate and 
alleviate hunger, even in times of natural or other disasters. The right to be free from 
hunger ensures a minimum daily nutritional intake and the bare survival of a 
person. The right to adequate food goes beyond freedom from hunger.
a. Respect - the State has the obligation not to interfere with or impair the 
enjoyment of the right to adequate food. No public authority may deprive any 
person of food or means for its procurement, apply laws and regulations, or 
pursue a policy or practice, in a way that may result in preventing the 
enjoyment of or infringing the human right to adequate food, or repeal 
formally or suspend legislation necessary for the continued enjoyment of the 
right to adequate food.
b. Protect - the State has the duty to provide guarantees against tlireats and 
risks stemming from private actors or societal forces that are controllable by 
State action. It shall take preventive measures necessary to protect persons 
whose capacities to access sufficient food or means for its procurement are 
endangered by the acts of others. It also must review the relevant 
administrative and legislative framework ensuring that activities
within their competence undertaken by private actors do not infringe on the 
right to adequate food of others.


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c. Fulfill - the State shall facilitate the enjoyment of the right to adequate food 
by adopting or pursuing appropriate policies and measures that promote the 
human right to adequate food and to create and maintain conditions under 
which every person can freely and regularly enjoy the right to adequate food. 
Sec 15. Targets. - The State shall ensure that in two and a hah years (2 Vi) after 
the effectivity of this Act, the incidence of hunger is reduced by twenty-five percent 
(25 ^), from the level recorded at the time of the passage of this Act: Provided, That 
five (5) years after the effectivity of this Act, such incidence of hunger will be further 
reduced by twenty-five percent (25%): Provided, further. That in seven and a half (7 
Vi) years, the incidence of hunger will be further reduced by twenty-five percent 
(25 ^): Provided, finally. That in ten (10) years, there shall be zero hunger incidence.
The State shall also ensure that within ten (10) years from the effectivity of this 
Act, land devoted to food production is increased to fifty percent (50%) of all prime 
agricultural land in every region, and, within the same period, the State shall ensure 
that the following indicators are considerably and steadily increased:
a. Percentage of development of ancestral lands;
b. Percentage of rural population with access to productive resources;
c. Share of budget spent on programs aimed at creating access to productive 
resources;
d. Percentage of budget spent on agri-research, agri-extension, irrigation, 
training, technology, credits, and rural development;
e. Percentage of rural female-headed households, or rural women, with legal 
title to agriculture lands;
f. Percentage of public budget allocation for social transfer programs to those 
unable to feed themselves;
g. Coverage of marginalized and disadvantaged populations taking part in 
social transfer programs;
h. Percentage of marginalized and disadvantaged populations covered by a 
public nutrition supplement program;
1. Percentage of the population aware of available food and nutrition 
programs; and
j. Coverage of school feeding programs.


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The percentage rates used as indicators herein shall also be stipulated in the 
rules and regulations issued to implement the provisions of this Act.
Periodic reviews shall be undertaken to ensure compliance with set targets. In 
the implementation of this Act priority shall be given to identify areas with 
chronically malnourished populations. In measuring the incidence of hunger, the 
key prunary data sources will include national nutrition surveys, household surveys 
of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), namely the Family Income and
Expenditure Survey and the Annual Poverty Indicators Survey, and global hunger
indices 
r , 
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benchmark.
Sec 16. Institutional Responsibilities. - The following agencies of the government 
are required to fulfill their respective mandates in a manner that shall ensure full 
implementation of the primary objectives of this Act:
a. Department of Agriculture (DA);
b. Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR);
c. Department of Budget and Management (DBM);
d. Department of Education (DepEd);
e. Department: of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR);
f. Department of Health (DOH);
g. Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG);
h. Department of Justice (DOJ);
i. Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE);
j- Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH);
k. Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD);
l. Department of Science and Technology (DOST);
m. Department of Trade and Industry (DTI);
n. Commission on Human Rights (CHR);
o. Commission on Higher Education (CHED);
p. National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC);
q. National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA);
r. National Food Authority (NFA);
s. National Nutrition Council (NNC);
t. Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA); and


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u. Other agencies and instrumentalities of the government whose functions
are necessary for the efficient and effective implementation of the right to 
adequate food.
In addition, the development of a fully integrated whole-of-government 
approach to implement the national policy governing the right to adequate food and 
the use of a human rights-based approach for the establishment and implementation 
of the national policy must be institutionalized.
Sec. 17. Commission on the Right to Adequate Food. - There is hereby created a 
Commission on the Right to Adequate Food hereinafter referred to as the 
Commission, which shall be attached to the Office of the President.
The Commission shall be the primary policy-making and coordinating body 
to guarantee the full exercise of the right to adequate food. It shall exercise 
monitoring and oversight functions, apply human rights principles, conduct an 
objective impact assessment on all government policies, programs and projects prior 
to adoption and implementation, work in close cooperation, and coordination with 
relevant government agencies and in consultations with civil society organizations 
and the private sector, and use all available resources for the efficient and effective 
implementation of this Act.
It shall formulate a national food policy consistent with the policy formulated 
by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Zero Hunger. The Commission shall implement 
programs of action to eradicate hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition, 
and promote sustainable agriculture.
The Commission on the Right to Adequate Food shall have the following 
powers:
a. Receive complaints of violations of the right to adequate food from 
individuals and groups;
b. Investigate, motu propio, or upon complaint by any party, all forms of 
violations of the right to adequate food;


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c. Adopt operational guidelines and rules of procedure, and cite for 
contempt individuals and groups for their violations in accordance with 
the Rules of Court;
d. Provide appropriate legal measures for the protection of the right to 
adequate food for all persons within the Philippines, as well as Philippine 
citizens residing abroad, and provide preventive measures and legal aid 
services to the under-privileged whose right to adequate food has been 
violated or needs protection;
e. Establish a continuing program of research, education, and information to 
enhance respect for the primacy of the right to adequate food;
f. Recommend to Congress effective measures to promote the right to 
adequate food, to harmonize existing laws affecting the right to adequate 
food, to ensure their complementation, and the availability of remedies for 
violations and compensation to victims of violations of the right to 
adequate food;
g. Monitor the Government's compliance with its obligations regarding the 
right to adequate food;
h. Request the assistance of any department, bureau, office, or agency in the 
performance of its functions;
i. Appoint officers and employees in accordance with law; and
j. 
Perform such other duties and functions as may be provided by law.
Sec. 18. Composition. - The Commission is composed of a chairperson and two 
(2) members who must be natural-born citizens; at least thirty-five (35) years of age 
at the time of their appointment; and must not have been a candidate for any elective 
position in the elections immediately preceding their appointment. At least one (1) of 
them must be a member of the Philippine Bar.
The Chairperson and members of the Commission shall not, during their 
tenure, hold any other office or employment. Neither shall they engage in the 
practice of any profession, or in the active management or control of any business 
which, in any way affect the functions of their office, nor shall they be financially 
interested, directly or indirectly, in any contract with, or any franchise or privilege
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granted by the government, any of its subdivisions, agencies, or instrumentalities, 
including government-owned or controlled corporations or their subsidiaries.
The Chairperson and members of the Commission shall be appointed by the 
President and shall not be reappointed to another term. From among the members, 
one (1) shall serve as the chairperson and shall hold office for ten (10) years, another 
member shall be appointed as Commissioner for seven (7) years, and another shall 
be appointed Commissioner and shall serve for five (5) years, without 
reappointment. A member who shall be appointed to fill a vacancy shall serve only 
the unexpired portion of the term of the predecessor. In no case shall any member be 
appointed or designated in a temporary or acting capacity.
The Chairperson and members of the Commission shall receive the same 
salary, benefits, privileges, and emoluments of a cabinet secretary and 
undersecretary, respectively.
Sec. 19. Standards on the Amount of Food. -Within one (1) year from the 
effectivity of this Act, the Commission shall, in consultations with the DSWD, DILG, 
NNC and the DOH, issue guidelines on the minimum amount of food for persons 
who are suffering from hunger or undernourishment, or are at risk from suffering 
from hunger or undernourishment, but who cannot take care of their own needs, due 
to reasons beyond their control, including children whose parents die or disappear, 
or otherwise no longer take care of them, elderly, and persons with disabilities. The 
guidelines include:
1) The exact quantity of calories, proteins, and micronutrients, to which 
the minimum amount of food will correspond, according to the age, 
sex, health status, and occupation of a person;
2) A simple and accessible application or certification procedure for the 
minimum amount of food entitlement with transparent, fair and non- 
discriminatory eligibility or certification criteria; and
3) Relief mechanisms to ensure that such individuals are provided with 
their minimum food requirement.
Specific support measures shall be designed and adopted to prevent or 
compensate for disadvantages of the identified vulnerable persons or groups with 
regard to the enjoyment of their right to adequate food.
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Sec. 20. Emergencies. - The Commission in coordination with the National 
Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) shall:
a. Provide food emergency responses that sufficiently cover both early 
warning responses and disaster preparedness in case of a crisis, and 
organize and manage food responses efficiently and effectively;
b. Ensure that food supply responses are compatible with the right to 
adequate food and international standards regulating emergencies; and
c. Initiate requests for international assistance in case of necessity, and 
supervise and coordinate properly the distribution of food to intended 
recipients.
Sec. 21. Information Dissemination. - All government agencies, under the 
direction of the Commission in coordination with the Philippine News Agency 
(PNA) and Philippine Information Agency (PIA), shall:
a. Inform the population about the rights established in this Act 
and the implementing rules and regulations adopted upon its passage 
into law and other measures taken for the purpose of facilitating and 
promoting the realization of the right to adequate food; and
b. 
Use the most appropriate ways and methods of disseminating 
information by providing information through all media forms, and in 
local languages, notably in the most marginalized areas and among 
populations with a high rate of illiteracy.
Sec. 22. Education and Awareness Program. - The Commission, in coordination 
with the DepEd, CHED and TESDA shall ensure that:
a. School curriculum includes material related to food and nutrition 
education, the right to adequate food and human rights principles; 
and
b. Relevant adult education and training programs shall include 
materials related to food and nutrition, the right to adequate food, and 
human rights principles.
Sec. 23. International Cooperation. - The Commission, in coordination with the 
CHR and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), shcill:
a. Ensure that activities undertaken in other countries, including those
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by private actors, do not infringe on the enjoyment of the right to 
adequate food by people in the concerned countries, in coordination 
with DA, DTI, DOH and NED A, and other relevant agencies;
b. Promote international cooperation and help ensure the realization of 
the right to adequate food in other countries, if in a position to do so; 
and
c. Ensure that international and other agreements which the Philippine 
Government enters into, consider the guarantee on the right to food.
Sec. 24. Monitoring and Evaluation System. - There shall be an integrated 
monitoring system that shall ensure that all government agencies at all levels, under 
the supervision of the Commission on the Right to Adequate Food, shall:
a. Collect data related to food and nutrition security, using monitoring 
methodologies and processes consistent with human rights principles;
b. Disaggregate collected data by age, sex, income, bracket, civil status, 
and ethnicity;
c. Monitor progress achieved in the realization of the right to adequate 
food; and
d. Establish or identify an early v^aming mechanism for food supply 
shortages and emergencies.
Sec. 25. Representation and Participation of People's Organizations and Civil Society. - To 
guarantee public participation, the Commission shall ensure that:
a. All persons can freely and meaningfully participate in all forms of 
public discourse, access information, and exercise freedom of 
association, in relation to the formulation and implementation of 
policies pertaining to the right to adequate food;
b. 
Civil society and other stakeholders actively participate in the 
institutions that oversee the realization of the right to adequate food, 
as well as in formulating capacity-building mechanisms and special 
measures for disadvantaged groups; and
c. National public hearings are conducted every two (2) years, at 
which the goverrment is required to report on the progress made with 
the implementation of this Act, and the progressive realization of the
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right to adequate food in the country.
Sec. 26. Penal Provisions. - The penalty of imprisonment of six (6) months and 
one (1) day to six (6) years, or a fine of not less than One hundred thousand pesos 
(P100,000.00) but not more than Five hundred thousand pesos (P500,000.00), or both, 
at the discretion of the court, shall be imposed on any person who causes the 
starvation or denial of the access to food of any particular individual or group, 
through the commission of any of the following acts:
a. blockade;
b. refusal to implement a food-related program;
c. discrimination in implementing a food-related program;
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negligence in implementing food-related programs, resulting in 
death;
e. obstructing access to food in time of calamity or war;
f. theft, corruption, or black marketeering of food being given as 
humanitarian aid, in times of calamity or war;
g. distribution of expired, or unsafe food at a school feeding program or 
other feeding programs, in times of calamity or war;
h. contamination of food or water sources, through mining activities, 
aerial spraying of plantations, or any otlier similar means; and other 
analogous acts. Provided That, the penalty is imposable without prejudice 
to any other criminal, civil, or administrative liability under existing
I laws. If the act committed is food blockade during an armed conflict, the 
penalty imposable shall be without prejudice to the application of 
Republic Act No. 9851, or the "Philippine Act on Crimes Against 
International Humanitarian Law, Genocide and Other Crimes against 
Humanity," and other relevant laws.
Sec. 27. Civil and Administrative Liabilities. - The government shall ensure the 
enjoyment of the rights guaranteed in this Act and perform the duties provided for 
in this Act. Appropriate cases may be filed before the courts to compel compliance 
with the provisions of this Act. These cases shall be without prejudice to the liability 
for damages and administrative liability that may be incurred.
If the violator is a public official or employee, in addition to the penalty of
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imprisonment or fine or both, the accessory penalty of perpetual absolute 
disqualification to hold public office shall be imposed.
Sec. 28. Appropriations. - There shall be an allocation in the annual budget 
specifically for the purposes of the implementation of the right to adequate food, in 
accordance with priorities set by the Commission on the Right to Adequate Food. 
The allocation shall be aimed at the progressive realization of the right to adequate 
food over the long term.
Sec. 29. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - Within sixty (60) days from the 
effectivity of this Act, the Chairperson of the Commission shall, in coordination with 
the CHR, DA, DAR, DSWD, DOH, DTI, DPWH, NED A, NNC and NAPC, and 
people's organizations and human rights nongovernmental organizations, 
promulgate the necessary rules and regulations for the effective implementation of 
this Act.
Sec. 30. Rationalization of Policies. - All existing policies, laws, decrees, 
executive orders, memorandum orders, memoranaum circulars, administrative 
orders, and ordinances shall be rationalized and interpreted in a way that shall 
guarantee the realization of the right to adequate food as provided for by this Act.
Cabinet secretaries and other executive authorities involved in the 
implementation of the right to adequate food shall report on a regular basis to the 
Commission on the Right to Adequate Food on legislative and regulatory measures 
that have been formulated and adopted, and the time frames within which they are 
envisaged to achieve their objectives to achieve zero hunger.
Sec. 31. Separahility Clause. - If any part or provision of this Act is declared 
unconstitutional, the remainder of this Act or any provisions not affected thereby 
shall remain in full force and effect.
Sec. 32. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, executive orders, memorandum 
orders, memorandum circulars, administrative orders, ordinances, or parts thereof, 
which are inconsistent with the right to adequate food and the provisions of this Act, 
are hereby deemed repealed or modified accordingly.
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Sec. 33. Ejfectivity. — This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
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publication in the Official Gazette or a newspaper of general circulation.
Approved,
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