So little or none for millions

Hungry millions are again in the news. The March survey results of the Social Weather Station showed about 3.9 million Filipino families who went hungry for the first quarter of this year- an increase of 600,000 from last December's 3.3 million hungry families all throughout our country. Except for Metro Manila, hunger rates increased in Mindanao, in Luzon and in the Visayas.

Even if self-rated food poverty decreased from 44 percent to 39 percent from December to March, it is still alarming to know that so many millions of our people continue to report experiencing hunger.

Surrounded by seas, fertile lands, and other abundant natural resources, why is there so much hunger in our land and among our people?

Not only in the Philippines but globally, hunger haunts millions each day. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) released the information in 2012 that there were about 925 million people in the world who did not eat enough - about 1 in 7 people on earth.

In contrast to millions who have less or nothing, not even food to eat per day, a recent article released this week reported that in a study commissioned by the UN Human Rights Council, a small 1 percent of the world's population owns 40 percent of global assets. According to the report, “the top 20 percent of the world's population enjoys more than 70 percent of global income, while the bottom quintile must make do with just two percent.”

While, on the one hand, hunger and poverty are experienced by millions in the Philippines and throughout the world, a small percent of the population of the world as well as of the Philippines owns a huge percent of global and local income respectively.

So much inequality exists in the world and in our country. Despite so much resources theoretically available for all, inequality in ownership and distribution has resulted in wealth for a few and poverty and hunger for millions.

While it is very clear that the present global and local system of production for exchange and trade creates and continues so much inequality all over, a paradigm shift back to production for use, back to production to meet the needs of one's own people, is still not in the horizon.

Despite experts' advice that even just small amounts from the wealthy will effectively eliminate absolute income poverty, the world still has to witness a change of heart among the rich and the richest. The world is also not yet ready to set a limit to wealth. Until then, how many more millions will have to continue to be without food per day?

Can nothing be done at all to alleviate or eliminate hunger among our own people, especially those who are within our midst?

Clearly, the elimination of hunger and poverty is an urgent priority that the newly elected in our country need to address first and immediately.  Gratefully, reelected Councilor Nida Cabrera is already set to continue her share to urgently address the problem of hunger and poverty. She posted in her FB about a forum for this year's June 5 Environment Day on the theme “Developing food sustainability for a healthy green life.” The event will be held at the Cebu City Social Hall, Legislative Building from 1-5pm.

Each one of us will also need to do our share for our hungry millions. Shall we all pledge to unite together so that we will see less hungry people from here on?

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