Page 1 of 15
Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
House Bill No._____ 
Introduced by: Congressman BIENVENIDO M. ABANTE, JR. 
“AN ACT 
 ENSURING ZERO HUNGER FOR ALL FILIPINOS” 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
God in His generosity gave man everything. 
God, in His word, reminded all of us that even today the earth is full of abundance but 
men became greedy and covetous destroying the earth which God abundantly and faithfully 
created.  
Genesis 1: 29-30 (KJV) “And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, 
which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to 
you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing 
that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was 
so.” 
Consequently, we are facing a problem that gnaws at the bellies of many of our 
countrymen: hunger and food security. Food does not just sate our appetite. More 
importantly, food strengthens the body to enable a person to be a useful member of society 
and to aid in the fight against any illness. This is elementary, but it bears repeating. It is for 
this reason that the right to food is a fundamental human right. Even though we have already 
emerged from the pandemic crisis, the health catastrophe continues. The provision of “quick 
fixes” or “band-aids” will not be sufficient. To be able to offer a secure future and guarantee 
the right to food for all Filipinos, a long-term perspective is necessary to address the problem's 
core causes. 
Under our present condition, food must be one of the highest priorities in fund 
allocation for national spending to show the national government’s commitment to taking the 
lead toward food self-sufficiency to address the weak performance of the agriculture sector 
that has been attributed to the failures and shortcomings in the policy and institutional 
environment. Although, external factors are partly to blame, particularly for inflation. But 
there are also structural issues.1 No less than the 1987 Constitution provides in its State policies 
that, 
1 https://www.manilatimes.net/2023/02/13/opinion/editorial/more-trouble-ahead-for-agriculture-sector/1878427. 
March 9, 2023
12:15 pm
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The State shall promote comprehensive rural development and agrarian reform2. 
 
Moreover, the holy Writ instructed us in Deuteronomy 25: 4 (KJV) that, 
 
 
“Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn.” 
 
Sadly, there are glaring gaps in domestic legislation that have to be addressed to 
ensure freedom from hunger. The Philippines does not have a legal framework governing the 
right to adequate food (RTAF). There is a lack of a national comprehensive policy on hunger 
and poverty eradication. There is a need to rationalize all existing laws policies, decrees, and 
issuances relevant to hunger and poverty (conflicting policies cause crises in program 
planning and implementation). The national budget does not reflect the obligation of the 
government to eradicate hunger, thus creating issues of poor performance in the 
implementation of laws related to food as can be seen in the lack of government support to 
agriculture, fisheries, and agrarian reform and the lack of safeguards to cushion the negative 
effects of food price volatility.  
 
Hence, all of these factors increase the vulnerability of the poor to hunger and 
malnutrition as well as the economic and political uncertainty that comes with imprecise 
policies. Thus, the proposed measure will therefore create a framework to address this 
problem and pave the path for inclusive, social, equal, and sustainable growth and 
development that will assure zero hunger for all Filipinos. 
 
 In view of the foregoing, the immediate passage of this bill is earnestly sought. 
 
 
 
 
 
BIENVENIDO M. ABANTE, JR. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2 Art. 2. Sec. 21 of 1987 Constitution. 


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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
House Bill  No._____ 
Introduced by: Congressman BIENVENIDO M. ABANTE, JR. 
“AN ACT 
 ENSURING ZERO HUNGER FOR ALL FILIPINOS” 
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 “Ensuring Zero Hunger for All 
Filipinos ” 
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.  
Article II of the 1987 Constitution states: 
Section 9. The State shall promote a just and dynamic social order that will 
ensure the prosperity and independence of the nation and free the people from 
poverty through policies that provide adequate social services, promote full 
employment, a rising standard of living, and an improved quality of life for all. 
Section 11. The State values the dignity of every human person and guarantees 
full respect for human rights.  
Section 21. The State shall promote comprehensive rural development and 
agrarian reform.  
Article 11 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights 
provides: 
1. The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize the right of
everyone to an adequate standard of living for himself and his family,
including adequate food, clothing, and housing, and to the continuous
improvement of living conditions. The States Parties will take
appropriate steps to ensure the realization of this right, recognizing to
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this effect the essential importance of international cooperation based 
on free consent. 
 
2. The States Parties to the present Covenant, recognizing the 
fundamental right of everyone to be free from hunger, shall take, 
individually and through international cooperation, the measures, 
including specific programmes, which are needed: 
 
(a) To improve methods of production, conservation, and 
distribution of food by making full use of technical and 
scientific knowledge, by disseminating knowledge of the 
principles of nutrition, and by developing or reforming agrarian 
systems in such a way as to achieve the most efficient 
development and utilization of natural resources; 
 
(b) Taking into account the problems of both food-importing 
and food-exporting 
countries, to ensure an equitable 
distribution of world food supplies in relation to need.  
 
SEC. 3. Freedom from Hunger --- Every person has a right to be free from hunger. Hunger 
refers to a condition in which people do not get enough food to eat to provide the necessary 
nutrients for a fully productive, active, and healthy living due to the unavailability and 
inaccessibility of food. It can 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 an 
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 food but of inadequate quality. Every 
person suffering from hunger or malnutrition or at risk of suffering from hunger or 
undernutrition is entitled to a minimum amount of food according to one’s age, sex, health 
status, and occupation, as provided for in Section 13. 
 
SEC. 4. Condition to Remain Free from Hunger. For every Filipino to remain free from 
hunger, s/he must live in conditions that will enable him/her: 
 
a) 
To feed directly from productive land or 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, such as an economic or climatic crisis, or one that is brought about by a 
national health emergency such as the COVID-19 pandemic, or one that caused 
the internal displacement of people, or cyclical events, such as seasonal food 
scarcity; 
d) To 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) 
To access food or diet that is the most appropriate under given circumstances, in 
terms of their nutritional value and cultural acceptability.  
f) 
All Departments and attached agencies and bureaus shall ensure that their rules 
and regulations, plans and programs, activities, and projects are focused on 
creating and/or maintaining the above conditions. 
 


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SEC. 5. Eradication of Hunger by 2030. — The State shall ensure that in two-and-a-half 
(2-1/2) 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 (71/2) 
years, it will be further reduced by twenty-five percent (25%): Provided, finally, That by 2030, 
there shall be zero incidences of hunger. 
  
SEC. 6. Fully Integrated Whole of Government Approach to Eradicate Hunger. To eliminate 
hunger by 2030, the State adopts a comprehensive whole-of-government approach to policy 
and plan development and implementation, program management, and service delivery.  All 
Departments and their attached agencies and bureaus shall work together across portfolio 
boundaries to achieve an integrated government response to eliminate hunger.  In particular, 
all departments and their attached agencies shall: 
 
a) 
Plan, program, and budget in conjunction with each other; 
b) Collaborate in the review, design, and delivery of policy, programs, and services; 
c) 
Coordinate and communicate through formal and informal channels toward 
more timely and effective implementation of policy decisions; 
d) Implement policies in an integrated manner; 
e) 
Share information and data and cooperate in knowledge management; 
f) 
Effectively align policies, programs, activities, and projects; 
g) Share reporting duties; and 
h) Engage with civil society organizations, businesses, and the private sector, and 
ensure their active participation in policy, plan, and program design and 
implementation. 
 
SEC. 7. 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 [of the government and private bodies or organizations] for the efficient and 
effective implementation of this Act.  
 
It shall formulate a NATIONAL FOOD POLICY [NFP] and implement programs of 
action to eradicate hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition, and promote sustainable 
agriculture. [in coordination with relevant government agencies and consultation with civil 
society organizations and the private sector.  
 
The Commission on the Right to Adequate Food will 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 for
their violation, in accordance with the Rules of Court.
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)
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 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 forty-
five (45) 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 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, 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 the Members of the Commission shall receive the same salary, 
benefits, privileges, and emoluments of a Cabinet Secretary and Undersecretary, respectively. 
SEC. 8. Representation and Participation of People's Organizations, Civil Society, Business, 
and Private Sector. — The whole-of-government approach requires genuine and meaningful 
participation of people’s organizations, civil society, business, and the private sector. To this 
end, all departments and their attached agencies and bureaus shall involve civil society and 
other stakeholders in the review, reform, formulation, and implementation of policies, plans, 
programs, activities, and projects to end hunger by 2030.   


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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;  
 
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. 
 
SEC. 9. Priority Attention. — Priority attention shall be given to the following 
individuals, groups, and communities, who are particularly vulnerable to hunger and 
starvation:  
 
a) 
Physiologically and clinically vulnerable persons, such as those afflicted with 
COVID-19 and others with co-morbidities; children, particularly those from zero 
to twenty-three (23) months of age; pregnant women and lactating mothers; 
persons with disabilities; chronically-ill persons and older persons (senior 
citizens);   
b) Geographically disadvantaged persons such as persons living in remote and 
isolated, very poor, or underdeveloped areas; and  
c) 
Economically vulnerable persons, such as landless people, street children, urban 
poor, unemployed persons, indigenous peoples, ethnic, linguistic, or religious 
minorities, and internally displaced persons. 
 
SEC. 10. Planning, Programming, and Budgeting. — Policies, laws, rules, regulations, 
plans, programs, activities, and projects shall be directed towards achieving four objectives: 
(a) guarantee stable and sustainable food supply for current and future generations; (b) ensure 
affordable food; (c) secure adequate nutrition, and (d) assure food safety and consumer 
protection. The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) shall develop and 
issue Planning Guidelines that incorporate the whole-of-government approach and focus on 
achieving these objectives. When issuing annual budget calls, the Department of Budget and 
Management (DBM) shall incorporate the whole-of-government approach to achieve these 
objectives and eradicate hunger by 2030. 
 
SEC. 11. Review and Rationalization of Existing Policies, Laws, Rules, Regulations, Plans, 
Programs, Activities, and Projects. — Policies, laws, rules, regulations, plans, programs, 
activities, and projects relevant to the eradication of hunger shall be reviewed and rationalized 
to comply with the integrated policy and planning objectives; 
 
a) 
To guarantee stable and sustainable food supply for current and future 
generations, the following Departments and agencies, with the participation of 
civil society organizations, business and the private sector, shall jointly review, 
and if necessary, jointly rationalize all policies, laws, rules, regulations, 
programs, activities and projects related, but not limited, to (i) agricultural and 
fisheries production,  (ii) trade in agricultural and food products, (iii)  drought, 


Page 8 of 15 
 
crop failure and disaster management, (iv) market system including small-scale 
local and regional markets, particularly marketing, storage, transportation, 
communications and distribution system, (v) watershed management, control of 
deforestation and enhancement of national forest cover, (vi) sustainability of 
productive resources and natural assets for food generation or production, (vii) 
weather variability and climate change, (viii) monitoring of food stocks for food 
storage and distribution, including measures against spoilage, food leakage and 
corruption, (ix) security of land tenure, including mechanisms for adequate 
resettlement, compensation and rehabilitation for persons, families, groups or 
communities forcibly evicted, (x) farmers’ rights to save, reuse, exchange and sell 
seeds and plant genetic resources, including safeguards for domestic seeds and 
plant varieties against importation and use of terminator seeds, seed pricing 
standards, seed databanking, (xi) agricultural research, training and technology, 
(xii) investments in agriculture and public spending on agriculture, fisheries, 
agrarian reform, and environmental protection (xiii) agrarian reform, land 
demarcation and land distribution, (xiv) environmental protection, and (xv) 
domestic and international food aid and disaster relief: 
 
1. 
Department of Agriculture (DA) 
2. 
Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) 
3. 
Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) 
4. 
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) 
5. 
Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) 
6. 
Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) 
7. 
Department of Energy (DOE) 
8. 
Department of Finance (DOF) 
9. 
Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) 
10. Department of Social Work and Development (DSWD) 
11. Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) 
12. Department of Budget and Management (DBM) 
13. Department of Science and Technology (DOST) 
14. Department of National Defense (DND) 
15. National Economic and Development Agency (NEDA) 
16. National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) 
17. Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) 
18. National Youth Commission (NYC) 
19. Climate Change Commission (CCC) 
20. National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) 
 
b) To ensure affordable food, the following Departments and agencies, with the 
participation of civil society organizations, business and the private sector,  shall 
jointly review, and if necessary, jointly rationalize all policies, laws, rules, 
regulations, programs, activities and projects related, but not limited, to (i) 
regulation and monitoring of volatility/stability of food prices, (ii) chronic food 
poverty, (iii) mobilization of domestic public and private savings, (iv) unfair 
competition/ uncompetitive practices in the market, (v) adequate consumer 
protection against fraudulent market practices, misinformation and unsafe food, 
(vi) climate change adaptation and mitigation, (vii) transportation costs, traffic, 
ports and highways, (viii) oil price monitoring, (ix) food supply monitoring, (x) 
taxes on consumption, (xi) protection of labor and access to labor, including 


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standards for living wage and decent standard of living, (xii) social transfer 
scheme, subsidies, or food safety nets, and (xiii) public feeding programs: 
 
1. 
Department of Agriculture (DA) 
2. 
Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) 
3. 
Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) 
4. 
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) 
5. 
Department of Energy (DOE) 
6. 
Department Of Finance (DOF) 
7. 
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) 
8. 
Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) 
9. 
Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) 
10. Department of Health (DOH) 
11. National Nutrition Council-Department of Science and Technology (NNC-
DOST) 
12. Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) 
13. Department of Social Work and Development (DSWD) 
14. Department of Education (DepEd) 
15. Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) 
16. National Economic and Development Agency (NEDA) 
17. National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) 
18. Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) 
19. National Youth Commission (NYC) 
20. Climate Change Commission (CCC) 
21. Philippine Information Agency (PIA) 
22. Philippine News Agency (PNA) 
 
c) 
To secure nutrition adequacy, the following Departments and agencies, with the 
participation of civil society organizations, business and the private sector, shall 
jointly review, and if necessary, jointly rationalize all policies, laws, rules, 
regulations, programs, activities and projects related, but not limited, to (i) the 
minimum amount of food entitlement for each individual, including exact 
quantity of calories, proteins and micronutrients according to age, sex, health 
status and occupation of a  person, (ii) breastfeeding and breast milk substitutes, 
(iii) hidden hunger (undernutrition and malnutrition) and chronic food poverty, 
(iv) nutrition education and awareness, (v) public nutrition programs, (vi) public 
nutrition supplement programs, (vii) food labeling, (viii) food fortification, (ix) 
genetically modified organisms or genetically engineered food products, (x) 
climate change adaptation and mitigation, and (xi) food cultural acceptability 
programs (including, among others, labeling, distribution programs for 
indigenous peoples and ethnic, linguistic or religious minorities): 
 
1. 
Department of Health (DOH) 
2. 
National Nutrition Council-Department of Science and Technology (NNC-
DOST) 
3. 
Food Nutrition and Research Institute-Department of Science and 
Technology (FNRI-DOST) 
4. 
Department of Science and Technology (DOST) 
5. 
Department of Education (DepEd) 
6. 
Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) 
7. 
Department of Social Work and Development (DSWD) 


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8. 
Department of National Defense (DND) 
9. 
Department of Energy (DOE) 
10. National Economic and Development Agency (NEDA) 
11. Climate Change Commission (CCC) 
12. National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) 
13. National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) 
14. Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) 
15. National Youth Commission (NYC) 
16. Philippine Information Agency (PIA) 
17. Philippine News Agency (PNA) 
 
d) To assure food safety and consumer protection, the following Departments and 
agencies, with the participation of civil society organizations, business and the 
private sector, shall jointly review, and if necessary, jointly rationalize all 
policies, laws, rules, regulations, programs, activities and projects related, but 
not limited, to (i) measures against contamination or adulteration of food, (ii) 
control of contamination from agricultural, industrial or other pollutants in the 
production of food, (iii) safety standards for food production, processing, 
storage, distribution and preparation, (iv) monitoring and regulation of food 
processing and food handling technologies, (v) monitoring and control of 
emerging food-borne pathogens or microorganisms, (vi) monitoring of misuse 
and abuse of pesticides and herbicides, (vii) monitoring and surveillance of food 
and water-borne diseases, (viii) regulation and monitoring of preparation and 
serving of street-vended food, (ix) monitoring, regulation and standards for 
water quality for irrigation and ingestion (drinking), (x) food regulatory powers, 
(xi) food safety and consumer protection advocacy, education, research and 
implementation of related laws and regulations (xii) effective and integrated 
food control system including complementary measures for agriculture and 
fisheries (fresh produce), the food industry including food manufacturers and 
establishments, food distribution and retail outlets, and the food service sector 
including restaurants, caterers, street vendors and consumers, (xiii) monitoring, 
supervision and regulation of  genetically modified organisms or genetically 
engineered food production, storage, distribution and marketing and impact on 
health, environment (including potential for genetic contamination or genetic 
pollution of plant species), soil, and issues arising from intellectual property 
ownership associated with creating new crops and food, labeling, and pre-
market testing, (xiv) hidden hunger (undernutrition and malnutrition) and 
chronic food poverty, (xv)climate change adaptation and mitigation, and (xvi) 
justiciability and accountability measures, including measures to address 
smuggling, 
cartels, 
price 
manipulation, 
corruption, 
food 
poisoning, 
contamination or adulteration of food products, contamination of productive 
resources and natural assets, land conflicts, conflicts over productive resources 
and natural assets: 
 
1. 
Department of Agriculture (DA) 
2. 
Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) 
3. 
Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) 
4. 
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) 
5. 
Department of Energy (DOE) 
6. 
Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) 
7. 
Department of Social Work and Development (DSWD) 


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8. 
Department of Health (DOH) 
9. 
Department of Justice (DOJ) 
10. Department of Education (DepEd) 
11. Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) 
12. Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) 
13. Department of Budget and Management (DBM) 
14. Department of Science and Technology (DOST) 
15. Department of National Defense (DND) 
16. Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) 
17. Department of Tourism (DOT)  
18. Food Safety Regulatory Coordination Board and Food Safety Regulatory 
Agencies of the Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Health 
(DOH), and Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) 
19. National Economic and Development Agency (NEDA) 
20. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 
21. National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) 
22. Climate Change Commission (CCC) 
23. National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) 
24. National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) 
25. Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) 
26. National Youth Commission (NYC) 
27. Philippine Information Agency (PIA) 
28. Philippine News Agency (PNA) 
29. Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) 
 
SEC. 12. Targets and Indicators. — The State shall also ensure that, by 2030, land devoted 
to food production will be 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 
will considerably and steadily increase: 
 
a) 
Percentage of developed 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; 
i) 
Percentage of the population aware of available food and nutrition programs; 
and 
j) 
Coverage of school feeding programs.  
 
SEC. 13. Standards on the Minimum Amount of Food. —  Within one (1) year from the 
effectivity of this Act, the Commission, in consultations with the DSWD, NNC, and the DOH, 
shall issue guidelines on the minimum amount of food for persons who are suffering from 


Page 12 of 15 
 
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 ( like the 
effect and impact of the COVID 19 pandemic), including but not limited to children whose 
parents die due to the pandemic or disappear or otherwise, no longer able to take care of them, 
the elderly, and persons with disabilities. The guidelines shall include: 
 
a) 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 
the person. 
b) 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 
c) A relief mechanism to ensure that such individuals are provided with their 
minimum food requirement.  
 
Specific support measures will be designed and adopted to prevent or compensate for 
disadvantages that identified vulnerable persons or groups suffer from, with regard to the 
enjoyment of their right to food. 
 
SEC. 14.  Food Emergencies. — Whenever a situation arises 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 a human agency such as internal or 
international armed conflict, or a national health emergency such as the COVID-19 pandemic,  
the Commission on the Right to Adequate Food, in coordination with the National Disaster 
Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) shall ensure that: 
 
a) 
Information on potential or brewing food emergencies is shared speedily among 
all Departments and agencies, and with the general public; 
b) 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; 
c) 
Food aid is free from spoilage, and leakage and is protected against theft and 
corruption; and 
d) Requests for international assistance are initiated in case of necessity and the 
distribution of food to intended recipients is properly supervised and 
coordinated. 
 
 
The Department of National Defense (DND), the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the 
Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) shall ensure strict compliance with 
Republic Act No. 9851, or the “Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian 
Law, Genocide, and Other  Crimes Against  Humanity" and other relevant laws, when 
responding to food emergencies. 
 
SEC. 15. Information Dissemination. —  All government agencies, under the direction of 
the Commission on the Right to Adequate Food, in coordination with the Philippine 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 to adequate food. 


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b) Use the most appropriate ways and methods of disseminating information by 
providing information through all media formats, and in local languages, notably 
in the most marginalized areas and among populations with a high rate of 
illiteracy. 
  
SEC. 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. 
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. 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 so; and  
c) 
ensure that international and other agreements which the Philippine Government 
enters into, take into account the guarantee of the right to food. The Commission 
on the Right to Adequate Food, in coordination with the CHR and the Department 
of Foreign Affairs (DFA), shall ensure that international bilateral and/or 
multilateral agreements which the Philippine Government may enter into take 
into account the State’s objective to eliminate hunger by 2030.  Before entering into 
any international agreement, the DFA, with the participation of relevant 
Departments, civil society, business, and the private sector, shall carefully evaluate 
the proposed agreement to determine its impact on the eradication of hunger, and 
propose necessary amendments or revisions to align the agreement with the 
State’s objective to eliminate hunger by 2030. 
 
SEC. 18.  Periodic Review and Public Reporting. — Periodic reviews shall be undertaken 
to ensure compliance with set targets. In the implementation of this Act, priority will be given 
to identified areas with chronically malnourished population. In measuring the incidence of 
hunger, the key primary data sources will include national nutrition surveys, and household 
surveys of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), namely the Family Income and 
Expenditure Survey and the Annual Poverty Indicators Survey, with global hunger indices as 
benchmarks.  
 
SEC. 19. 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; 


Page 14 of 15 
 
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 warning mechanism for food supply shortages and 
emergencies. 
 
SEC. 20. Penal Provisions. – The penalty of prision correccional shall be imposed on any 
public or private actor who causes the starvation or denial of 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 times of pandemic, 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 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 against International 
Humanitarian Law, Genocide and Other Crimes against Humanity,” and other relevant laws. 
 
SEC. 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 rights guaranteed under sections 5, 6, 7, and 9 of this Act, shall 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 hereby 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, as the primary duty bearer. 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, as well as administrative liability that may be incurred.  
 
SEC. 22. 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. 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, DOJ, DA, 
DAR, DSWD, DOH, DTI, DPWH, NEDA, NNC, and NAPC, and with the active participation 
of people’s organizations and human rights nongovernmental organizations.  


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SEC. 24. Rationalization of Policies. – All existing policies, laws, decrees, executive 
orders, memorandum orders, memorandum 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.  
Concerned Cabinet secretaries and other executive authorities 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 in order to achieve zero hunger.  
SEC. 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. 
SEC. 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. 
SEC. 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,