Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila

‘Twentieth Congress
First Regular Session

4220

HOUSE BILL NO.

Introduced by Representative RAYMOND ADRIAN SALCEDA

AN ACT
ESTABLISHING A FOOD SECURITY INDEX AT THE PROVINCIAL AND
MUNICIPAL LEVELS AND MANDATING ITS USE FOR POLICY MAKING
INCLUDING WAGE SETTING PROGRAM TARGETING AND BUDGET
PRIORITIZATION AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Food security remains one of the most urgent and complex challenges confronting the
Philippines. Despite agricultural growth in some sectors, millions of Filipino families continue
to experience food insecurity due to rising prices, insufficient production, and recurrent shocks
such as typhoons, floods, and global supply disruptions. Farmers and fisherfolk, who are the
backbone of the food system, remain among the poorest and most vulnerable.

Policy making on food security has often relied on fragmented statistics that do not
capture the multidimensional nature of food systems. Current indicators—such as poverty
incidence, inflation, and agricultural output—while useful, do not adequately reflect the true
status of houschold food access, nutrition, or resilience against shocks. This results in national
and local policies that are less targeted, with limited ability to monitor outcomes at the
community level

This bill seeks to address this gap by establishing a Food Security Index (FSI) to be
computed at the provincial level and eventually disaggregated to municipalities and component
cities. The Index will measure food availability, access, utilization, and stability, producing a
composite score from zero to one hundred that can be tracked over time. By integrating
agricultural production, market prices, nutrition outcomes, and vulnerability data, the Index
will provide a transparent and standardized tool for evidence-based decision making.

The Food Security Index will serve as:

. An input for wage-setting - guiding Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Boards
by linking food prices and access indicators to minimum wage deliberations;


2. A tool for program targeting — enabling agencies such as the Department of Agriculture,
Department of Social Welfare and Development, and National Nutrition Council to
prioritize interventions in the poorest and most food-insecure localities;

3. A guide for local governments — integrating FSI results into provincial and municipal
development plans, budget allocations, and disaster risk reduction strategies; and

4, A monitoring system for accountability — allowing citizens, policymakers, and
researchers to track progress in improving food security and nutrition outcomes.

By institutionalizing the Food Security Index, the Philippines will be better equipped
to respond to hunger, malnutrition, and agricultural challenges with timely, data-driven
solutions. It will also help ensure that policies on wages, social protection, and rural investment
are aligned with the actual conditions of Filipino households and communities.

In view of the foregoing, the immediate passage of this measure is earnestly sought.

(NE. SALCEDA


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila

Twentieth Congress
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO. 422 9

Introduced by Representative RAYMOND ADRIAN SALCEDA.

AN ACT
ESTABLISHING A FOOD SECURITY INDEX AT THE PROVINCIAL AND
MUNICIPAL LEVELS AND MANDATING ITS USE FOR POLICY MAKING
INCLUDING WAGE SETTING PROGRAM TARGETING AND BUDGET
PRIORITIZATION AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

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 “Food Security Index Act.”

SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. It is the policy of the State to secure the availability
access utilization and stability of safe and nutritious food for all Filipinos and to base decisions
on measurable outcomes that are timely transparent and locally comparable.

SEC. 3. Definition of Terms. For purposes of this Act:

(a) Food Security Index or FSI refers to a composite measure that tracks availability

access utilization and stability of food at the provincial and municipal levels using

official and administrative data normalized to a scale of zero to one hundred.

(b) Availability refers to the physical presence of food from domestic output and
imports and stocks.

(c) Access refers to the economic and physical ability of households to obtain food.

(d) Utilization refers to biological use of food reflected in nutrition and health
‘outcomes.

(©) Stability refers to exposure to shocks that affect any of the foregoing dimensions.


SEC. 4. Establishment of the Food Security Index. There is hereby created a Food
Security Index that shall be computed for all provinces and highly urbanized cities and shall
be disaggregated to municipalities and component cities as data permit.

SEC. 5. Lead and Partner Agencies. The Department of Agriculture shall lead the
program in coordination with the Philippine Statistics Authority the National Nutrition Council
the Department of Social Welfare and Development the Department of Labor and Employment
through the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Boards the Department of the Interior
and Local Government the National Economic and Development Authority and other agencies
as may be necessary.

SEC. 6. Methodological Principles. The Food Security Index shall be based on a
bounded score from zero to one hundred using min to max normalization of indicators with
transparent weights by pillar. The Department of Agriculture and the Philippine Statistics
Authority shall issue a technical manual that sets indicator definitions data sources update
frequency imputation rules and quality assurance.

SEC. 7. Data Sources and Frequency. The Index shall use official statistics and
administrative systems including but not limited to agricultural production accounts price
statistics poverty and labor data nutrition surveillance social protection registries and disaster
risk information. Price and access indicators shall be updated quarterly or more frequently
where feasible. Nutrition and utilization indicators shall be updated at least annually.

SEC. 8. Publication and Open Data. Provincial and municipal Food Security Index
scores shall be published on a public dashboard with indicator values documentation and
machine readable files not later than sixty days after the end of each reference quarter for fast
cycle indicators and not later than one hundred twenty days for annual indicators.

SEC. 9. Use for Policy Making and Wage Setting.

(a) The Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Boards shall consider the Food
Security Index and its access sub index as decision inputs in wage determination and
shall cite such scores in wage orders.

(b) The Department of Agriculture the Department of Social Welfare and Development
and the National Nutrition Council shall use the Food Security Index for geographic
targeting of programs including farm input support market infrastructure food
assistance and nutrition interventions

(©) Local government units shall integrate the Food Security Index into their
development plans investment programs budget proposals and disaster risk reduction
and management plans.

SEC. 10. Incentives and Performance. The Department of the Interior and Local
Government in consultation with the Department of Agriculture and the National Economic
and Development Authority shall align performance incentives and seal of good local
governance recognitions with demonstrated improvement in Food Security Index scores
especially for low baseline municipalities.


SEC. 11. Pilot and Scale Up. The Food Security Index shall be piloted within six
months in at least one province per region with full national coverage in the succeeding year.
Provinces may volunteer for early adoption.

SEC. 12. Implementing Rules and Regulations. Within ninety days from effectivity the
Department of Agriculture in coordination with the partner agencies shall promulgate the rules
and the technical manual.

SEC. 13. Appropriations. The amount necessary for initial implementation shall be
sourced from current appropriations of concerned agencies and thereafter included in their
annual budgets.

SEC. 14. Separability Clause. If any provision of this Act is declared unconstitutional
the remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect.

SEC. 15. Repealing Clause. All laws and regulations inconsistent herewith are repealed
or modified accordingly.

SEC. 16. Effectivity. This Act shall take effect fifteen days after publication in the
Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.

Approved,