Republic of the Philippines 
House of Representatives 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
House Bill No. _______ 
INTRODUCED BY REP. PM VARGAS 
AN ACT 
ENSURING THE AVAILABILITY, ADEQUACY, ACCESSIBILITY, AND 
SAFETY OF FOOD TO EVERY FILIPINO 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The Philippines is a country that is regularly hit by natural and human-
induced disasters and the need for early warning systems is paramount. 
Access to such information ensures that vulnerable communities have the 
capacity for evidence-based and timely decision-making even before a crisis 
arises.  
The huge and fast-growing population in the Philippines is often cited 
as the main factor driving the country’s global competitiveness and improve 
attractiveness to investment. While reports indicate that there is enough food 
to feed the entire country, many Filipinos, especially children below the age 
of five, continue to suffer from malnutrition due to inadequate intake of food 
and nutrients.  
In the 2018 Global Food Security Index by the Economist Intelligence 
Unit (EIU), the Philippines ranked 70th out of 130 countries. Such ranking is 
an improvement from the 2017 index, where the country ranked 79th out of 
113. However, this still puts us 34th out of 57 middle-income countries
surveyed. Out of 23 Asia-Pacific countries included, we ranked 14th, only
ahead of Myanmar (19th), Cambodia (21st) and Laos (23rd) in the ASEAN.
The country ranked 74th for food affordability, 63rd for food availability, 
69th for quality and safety and 101st in terms of natural resources and 
resilience. Among the sub-categories, the Philippines again ranked first in 
only one, nutritional standards pointing perhaps to our perennial problem 
with being excellent in law-making, but extremely poor in implementation. 
September 7, 2022
4:47 pm
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Among its many provisions, the foregoing measure explicitly lists down 
governmental obligations of the State to respect, protect, and fulfill every 
Filipinos’ right to adequate food. It also lays out specific percentage targets on 
the reduction of hunger, ultimately aiming for the zero incidences of forced 
hunger within a ten year period. 
This measure seeks to address the following concerns: 1) food 
availability, stability, and adequacy; 2) food quality and safety; 3) the 
determination of standards on the minimum amount of food to be given to 
any person suffering from hunger or undernutrition; 4) physical and economic 
access to food; and, 5) well-functioning distribution, processing, and market 
systems. 
In view of the foregoing, the immediate passage of this bill is earnestly 
sought.  
REP. PM VARGAS 
Fifth District, Quezon City 


Republic of the Philippines 
House of Representatives 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
House Bill No. _______ 
INTRODUCED BY REP. PM VARGAS 
AN ACT 
ENSURING THE AVAILABILITY, ADEQUACY, ACCESSIBILITY, AND 
SAFETY OF FOOD TO EVERY FILIPINO  
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines 
in Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Short Title. – This Act shall be known as the “Right to Adequate 
Food Framework Act.” 
SECTION 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. 
The State shall provide for a framework to address and eliminate hunger in 
an organized manner. 
SECTION 3. Definition of Terms. – As used in this Act: 
a) Food refers to solid, liquid and semi-liquid nourishment, as well as
drinking water, and when taken into the body serves to nourish, build
and repair tissues, supply energy, or regulate body processes;
b) Food blockade refers to an act of cutting off food supplies from a
particular area by force, either in part or totally;
c) Food emergency refers to a situation in which access to food is
endangered, as that caused by natural events like drought, floods,
storms, earthquakes, or crop failures resulting from pests or diseases;
or by human agency such as internal or international armed conflict;
d) 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. It can
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be acute, such as during a major disaster when food supply channels 
are cut, or chronic, when people are regularly not getting enough food 
to conduct and active life for a long time; 
It is also a condition of starvation, which is not having enough food of 
any sort to eat, or undernourishment, which is having enough food to 
eat, but of inadequate quality. 
e) Right to adequate food refers to 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; 
f) Vulnerable groups refers to those who are particularly disadvantaged. 
These include indigenous peoples, 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, women, including pregnant 
and lactating mothers and children, particularly those from zero to 
twenty-three (23) months of age. 
 
SECTION 4. Normative Content. – The right to adequate food is realized 
when every man, woman and child, alone or in community with others, have 
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. However, States have 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 of the right to 
adequate food is an adequacy standard in terms of quality, quantity and 
cultural acceptability, sustainability of food availability and access. 
a) The concept of adequacy is particularly significant since it underlines 
a number of factors which must be taken into account in 
determining whether particular foods or diets that are accessible can 
be considered the most appropriate under given circumstances. The 
notion of sustainability is intrinsically linked to the notion of 
adequate food or food security, improving that food must be 
accessible to both present and future generations. The precise 
meaning of adequacy is to a large extend determined by prevailing 
social, economic, cultural, climatic, ecological and other conditions, 
while sustainability incorporates the notion of long-term availability 
and accessibility. 
b) The core content of the right to adequate food implies: 
1 the availability of food in a quantity and quality sufficient to 
satisfy the dietary needs of individuals, free from adverse 
substances, and acceptable within a given culture; 
2 the accessibility of such food in ways that are sustainable, and 
do not interfere with the enjoyment of other human rights. 


 
c) Dietary needs refer to the diet as a whole that contains a mix of 
nutrients for physical and mental growth, development and 
maintenance, and physical activity, that are in compliance with 
human physiological needs at all stages throughout the life cycle, 
and according to gender and occupation. Measures therefore need 
to be taken to maintain, adapt or strengthen dietary diversity and 
appropriate consumption and feeding patterns, including optimal 
breast-feeding, as well as to ensure that changes in availability and 
access to food supply as a minimum do not negatively affect dietary 
composition and intake. 
d) Freedom from adverse substances refers to the requirements for food 
safety and for a range of protective measures by both public and 
private means to prevent contamination of foodstuff through 
adulteration, 
or 
through 
bad 
environmental 
hygiene, 
or 
inappropriate handling at different stages throughout the food 
chain. Care must also be taken to identify and avoid or destroy 
naturally occurring toxins. 
e) Cultural or consumer acceptability refers to the need to take into 
account, as far as possible, perceived non nutrient-based values 
attached to food and food consumption and informed consumer 
concerns regarding the nature of accessible food supplies. 
f) The concept of availability refers to the possibilities either 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 
in accordance with demand. 
g) Accessibility refers to economic and physical accessibility: 
1 Economic accessibility means personal or household financial 
costs 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. 
Socially vulnerable groups such as landless persons and other 
particularly impoverished segments of the population may 
need attention through special programs. 
2 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 specially disadvantaged groups need special attention 
and priority consideration with respect to accessibility of food. 
A particular vulnerability is that of many indigenous peoples 
groups whose access to their ancestral lands is threatened. 


 
SECTION 5. Conditions for the Exercise of the Right to Adequate Food. 
– Every person has the right to live in conditions that will enable the person: 
a) to feed directly from productive land of other natural resources; 
or rely on well-functioning food distribution, processing and 
market systems, or both; 
b) to financially acquire a sufficient quantity and quality of food and 
to satisfy other basic needs; 
c) to 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) to have the opportunity of good food utilization through access to 
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) to 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 to 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. 
 
No limitation on the right to adequate food may be allowed, unless it is 
provided by law, is necessary for the purpose of a compelling public interest, 
and is compatible with the nature of the right to adequate food. 
 
SECTION 6. 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 13 of this Act. 
 
SECTION 7. Non-discrimination. – Any distinction, exclusion or restriction 
made on the basis of race, color, sex, age, language, religion, political or other 
opinion, 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 capacity of an individual to exercise the right to adequate food, is 
unlawful and will be sanctioned in accordance with law. 
 
All forms of discrimination against women with regard to the guaranteed right 
to adequate food, including less favourable 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. 
 
SECTION 8. Principles – The principles upon which the provisions of this 
Act are founded are: 


 
a. Participation – People should be able to determine their own well-
being and participate in the planning, design, monitoring and 
evaluation of decisions affecting them. Individuals are able to take 
part in the conduct of public affairs, including the adoption and 
implementation of State policies. Such participation is active, free 
and meaningful, whether it is exercised directly or through 
intermediary organizations representing specific interests. It is 
supported 
by 
capacity-building 
and 
appropriate 
integrative 
mechanisms where necessary. 
b. Accountability – Public officials are answerable to their superiors and 
to the people they serve. Application of the principle of accountability 
in the context of responsibilities and functions to public authorities 
for the implementation and compliance with the framework and any 
subsequent measures to be taken. In addition, the expected results 
are spelled out clearly and appropriate procedures are established. 
c. Non-discrimination – The protection for human rights must be 
objectively and reasonably be the same for everybody, irrespective of 
sex, age, race, color, religion or any other ground. In addition to 
specifically prohibiting discrimination on any ground, this principle 
requires specific measure aimed at correcting de facto discrimination 
or eliminating conditions that cause or help to perpetuate 
discrimination, as well as measures promoting equality. In the 
context of this Act, it means paying particular attention to those 
groups that cannot enjoy their rights as fully as others. 
d. Transparency – The public should be given free and open access to 
timely and reliable information on the decisions and performance of 
public authorities. Holders of public office are as open as possible 
about all their decisions and actions that may affect the free exercise 
of the right to adequate food. Applying the principle of transparency 
within the context of this Act means that people are provided with 
essential information about the decision-making process and those 
accountable and responsible for it. The people also have the power 
to demand information on the processes that feed into the 
achievement of the particular entitlement, which provide an easy 
and low-cost corrective check to malfeasance. 
e. Human dignity – Persons have absolute and inherent worth, simply 
because they are humans, and not by virtue of any social status or 
a particular power. This Act recognizes in an unequivocal form that 
every person has a right to adequate food. To comply with this 
principle in the implementation of this Act, the State, through its 
public officials, must treat persons equally and respect their human 
worth and dignity. 
f. Empowerment – The people have the power, capacity, capability and 
access means to improve their own lives, including the power to seek 
from the State remedies for violations of their human rights. This 
principle is the logical consequence of all the preceding principles. 
In the context of this Act, empowerment entails specific provisions 
for awareness-raising, capacity-building and education on the right 
to adequate food. 


 
g. Rule of law – Government authority is legitimately exercised only in 
accordance with written, publicly disclosed and accessible laws 
adopted and enforced in conformity with established procedures. 
The principle is intended as a safeguard against arbitrary use of 
State authority and lawless acts of both organizations and 
individuals. Rules and regulations to be adopted for ensuring the 
implementation of this Act shall be clear, fair and accessible. The 
rule of law also means that no person or body can breach the law 
with impunity. There is access to justice including the right to an 
effective remedy for anyone whose rights are violated, as well as the 
guarantee of due process in all legal proceedings. 
 
SECTION 9. Governmental Obligations. – The State has the duty to respect, 
protect and fulfil the right to adequate food. 
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 could result in preventing the enjoyment 
of or infringing the human right to adequate food, or repeal 
formally or suspended legislation necessary for the continued 
enjoyment of the right to adequate food. 
b. Protect –the State has the duty to provide guarantee against 
threats and risks stemming from private actors or societal forces 
that are controllable by State action. It is bound to take 
preventive measures necessary to protect persons whose 
capacities to access sufficient and adequate 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. 
c. Fulfill – the State has the power to 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. 
It is equally the duty of the State to provide food, or means for its 
procurement, to persons who cannot take care of their own needs 
due to reasons beyond their control, in particular for children 
whose parents die, disappear or otherwise no longer take care of 
them. 
 
SECTION 10. Targets. –The State shall ensure that in two and a half years 
after the effectivity of this Act the incidence of hunger will be 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 1/2) years, it will be further 


 
reduced by twenty-five percent (25%): Provided, finally, That in ten (10) years 
there shall be a zero incidence of hunger. 
 
The State shall ensure that the following indicators will considerably and 
steadily increase: 
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 population taking 
part in social transfer programs; 
h. Percentage of marginalized and disadvantaged population 
covered by a public nutrition supplement program; 
i. Percentage of population aware of available food and nutrition 
programs; and 
j. Coverage of school feeding programs. 
 
The percentage of the foregoing indicators shall also be stipulated in the 
implementing rules and regulations of this Act. 
 
Periodic reviews will be undertaken to ensure compliance with set targets. In 
the implementation of this Act, priority will be given to identify areas with 
chronically malnourished population. In measuring the incidence of hunger, 
the key primary 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 as benchmarks. 
 
SECTION 11. Institutional Responsibilities. – The following agencies of the 
government are required to fulfil their respective mandates in a manner that 
will ensure full implementation of the primary objectives of this Act: 
 
a. Department of Agriculture (DA); 
b. Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR); 
c. Department of Education (DepEd); 
d. Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR); 
e. Department of Health (DOH); 
f. Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG); 
g. Department of Justice (DOJ); 
h. Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE); 
i. Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH); 
j. Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD); 
k. Department of Science and Technology (DOST); 


 
l. Department of Trade and Industry (DTI); 
m. Department of Budget and Management (DBM); 
n. Department of Transportation (DOTr); 
o. Department of Information and Communication Technology 
(DICT); 
p. Department of Human Rights (CHR); 
q. Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI); 
r. National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC); 
s. National Economic Development Authority (NEDA); 
t. National Food Authority (NFA); 
u. National Nutrition Council (NNC); 
v. Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA); 
and 
w. 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. 
 
SECTION 12. 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 implementation and full exercise of the right to adequate 
food. It shall exercise monitoring and oversight functions, apply human rights 
principles, conduct objective impact assessment on all government policies, 
programs and projects prior to adoption and implementation, work in close 
cooperation with civil society organizations and use all available resources of 
the government and private bodies or organizations for the efficient and 
effective implementation of this Act. It shall formulate a national food policy 
and implement programs of action to eradicate hunger, in coordination with 
relevant government agencies and in consultations with civil society 
organizations and the private sector. 
 
The Commission on the Right to Adequate Food will have the following powers: 
a. Establish a National Food Policy and a continuing program of research, 
education and information to enhance respect for the primacy of the 
right to adequate food; 
b. Adopt operational guidelines and rules of procedure, in relation to the 
National Food Policy 
c. Recommended 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; 
d. Provide appropriate legal measures for the protection of the right to 
adequate food of all persons within the Philippines, as well as Philippine 
citizens residing abroad, and provide for preventive measures and legal 
aid services to the under-privileged whose right to adequate food has 
been violated or needs protection; 
e. Receive complaints of violations of the right to adequate food from 
individuals and groups; and cite for contempt for their violation, in 
accordance with the Rules of Court. 
f. Investigate, motu propio, or upon complaint by any party, all forms of 
violations of the right to adequate food; 
g. Monitor the Government’s compliance with its obligations in regard to 
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. 
 
The Commission shall be composed of a Chairperson and two (2) members 
who must be natural-born citizens of the Philippines and, at the time of their 
appointment, at least thirty-five (35) years of age, and must not have been 
candidates 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 the 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, may be affected by the functions of their office, 
nor shall they be financially interested, directly or indirectly, in any contract 
with, or in any franchise or privilege granted by the government, any of its 
subdivisions, agencies, or instrumentalities, including government-owned or 
controlled corporations or their subsidiaries. 
 
The Chairperson and the Members of the Commission shall be appointed by 
the President and shall not be reappointed to another term. From among the 
Members, one shall serve as the Chairperson and shall hold office for ten (10) 
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 will any Member be appointed or designated in a temporary or 
acting capacity. 
 
The Chairperson and the Members of the Commission shall receive the same 
salary, benefits, privileges and emoluments of a Undersecretary and Assistant 
Secretary, respectively. 
 


 
SECTION 13. Standards on the Amount of Food. – The DSWD, in 
coordination with the local government units (LGUs) concerned, shall ensure 
regular, reliable and timely delivery of a minimum amount of food to any 
person who is suffering or is at risk from hunger or under nutrition. In 
consultations with the DSWD, DILG, NNC and the DOH, the Commission 
shall specify the scope of the minimum amount of food entitlement for each 
individual, determine 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. In 
addition, the Commission shall formulate a simple and accessible application 
or certification procedure for the minimum amount of food entitlement and 
transparent, fair and non-discriminatory eligibility or certification criteria. 
 
There shall likewise be established fair, independent and accessible resource 
procedures to the Commission for complaints and appropriate remedies in 
case of a determined violation of the right to adequate food. For its part, the 
DSWD shall establish an appropriate monitoring and evaluation mechanism 
and report to the Commission on the right to food on a regular basis. The 
annual national appropriations law shall include a specific item allocating 
resources necessary for the implementation of the right to adequate food. 
 
Specific support measures, particularly needed by (a) physiologically 
vulnerable persons, such as persons suffering from HIV/AIDS and their 
families, children, pregnant women and lactating mothers, disabled persons 
suffering from sickness or elderly (b) geographically disadvantaged persons, 
such as persons living in remote and isolated, very poor or underdeveloped 
areas, and (c) economically vulnerable persons, and indigenous peoples who 
are also identified as vulnerable groups, will be designed and adopted to 
prevent or compensate for disadvantages that they suffer from, in regard to 
the enjoyment of their right to adequate food. The Commission shall review 
such proposed specific support measures and, where necessary, give further 
guidance to ensure that all identified vulnerable groups are covered 
appropriately. The Commission shall adopt and develop specific support 
measures that are in accordance with right to food standards and human 
rights principles. 
 
SECTION 14 Emergencies. – The Commission on the Right to Adequate 
Food, in coordination with the National Disaster Risk Reduction and 
Management Council (NDRRMC) will have the duty to ensure that : 
a. Food emergency responses sufficiently cover both early warning 
responses and disaster preparedness in case of a crisis; and food 
responses are organized and managed efficiently and effectively, and 
are complaint with the right to adequate food and relevant international 
standards; 
b. Food supply responses are compatible with the right to adequate food 
and international standards regulating emergencies; and, 
c. Requests for international assistance are initiated in case of necessity 
and distribution of food to intended recipients is properly supervised 
and coordinated. 


 
SECTION 15 Information Dissemination. – All government agencies, under 
the direction of the Commission on the Right to Adequate Food, in 
coordination with the Philippines News Agency (PNA) and Philippine 
Information Agency (PIA), are mandated to: 
a. Inform the population about the rights established in this Act and the 
implementing rules and regulations adopted upon its entry into force, 
as well as about any other measure taken for the purpose of facilitating 
and promoting the realization of the right 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. 
 
SECTION 16. Education and Awareness Program. – The Commission on 
the Right to Adequate Food, in coordination with the DepEd, Commission on 
Higher Education (CHED)  and TESDA, shall ensure that : 
a. The 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. 
 
SECTION 17. International Cooperation. – The Commission on the Right 
to Adequate Food, in coordination with the CHR and the Department of 
Foreign Affairs (DFA), shall: 
a. Ensure that activities undertaken in other countries, including those 
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 NEDA and other relevant agencies; 
b. Promote international cooperation and provide assistance to ensure the 
realization of the right to adequate food in other countries, if in a 
position to do o; and, 
c. Ensure that international and other agreements which the Philippine 
Government enters into, take into account the guarantee on the right 
to food. 
 
SECTION 18. 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 
as established by this Act; 
b. Disaggregate collected data by age, sec, 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 warning mechanism for food supply 
shortages and emergencies. 


 
SECTION 
19. 
Representation 
and 
Participation 
of 
People’s 
Organizations and Civil Society. – To guarantee public participation, the 
Commission on the Right to Adequate Food shall ensure that: 
a. All persons can freely and meaningfully participate in all forms of public 
discourse, as well as 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 Government is required to report on the progress made with the 
implementation of this Act, and the progressive realization of the right 
to adequate food in the country. 
 
SECTION 20. Penal Provisions. – The penalty of prison correccional shall be 
imposed on any public or private actor who causes the starvation or denial of 
the access to food of any  particular individual or group, as 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; 
d. 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 program, in times of calamity or war; 
h. contamination of food or water sources, through mining activities, 
aerial spraying of plantations, or any other similar means; and, 
i. other analogous acts. 
 
Provided That, the penalty is imposable without prejudice to any other 
criminal, civil or administrative liability under Philippine law; Provided 
Further, That if the act committed is food blockade during armed conflict, the 
penalty imposable shall be without prejudice to the application of Republic 
Act No. 9851, or the “Philippine Act on Crimes and International 
Humanitarian Law, Genocide and Other Crimes against Humanity,” and other 
relevant laws. 
 
SECTION 21. Civil and Administrative Liabilities. – Any public officer or 
employee who directly or indirectly obstructs, defeats, violates or in any 
manner impedes or impairs any of a person’s right guaranteed under this Act, 
will be liable for damages. Any violation of a provision of this Act, whether 
committed by public or private actors, will similarly give rise to liability for 
damages. 
 


 
It is here declared a ministerial duty on the part of the Government to ensure 
the enjoyment of the rights guaranteed in this Act and to 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  liability for damages, as well as administrative liability 
that may be incurred. 
 
SECTION 22. Appropriations. – There will 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 will be aimed at the progressive 
realization of the right to adequate food over the long term. 
 
SECTION 23. Implementing Rules and Regulations. – The Commission on 
the Right to Adequate Food shall issue the necessary rules and regulations to 
implement the provisions of this Act within sixty (60) days from its effectivity. 
In the formulation of these rules and regulations, the Commission shall take 
the lead and shall coordinate with the CHR, DA, DAR, DSWD, DOH, DTI, 
DPWH, NEDA, NNC and NAPC, and with the active participation of people’s 
organizations and human rights nongovernmental organizations. 
 
SECTION 24. Rationalization of Policies. – All existing policies, laws, 
decrees, executive orders, memorandum orders, memorandum circulars, 
administrative orders, and ordinance shall be rationalized and interpreted in 
a way that will guarantee the realization of the right to adequate food as 
provided for by this Act. 
 
Concerned cabinet secretaries and other executive authorities will 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 in 
order to achieve zero hunger. 
 
SECTION. 25. Separability 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. 
 
SECTION 26. 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. 
 
SECTION 27. Effectivity. –This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation. 
 
Approved,