CHR pushes right to food in NAPHR
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SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union ― The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) pushes for the inclusion of the right to food in government’s National Action Plan on Human Rights (NAPHR).
CHR believes the inclusion of the said right will strengthen and further solidify government’s action in addressing hunger and achieving the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of halving the rate of hunger in the Philippines by 2015.
Food, being the primary among the basic needs of all people is an entitlement of every person and of every Filipino, as justified by CHR chairperson Leila de Lima.
De Lima said that this is an urgent matter, and the Philippines, being a party to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights which recognizes people’s right to adequate living standard is duty-bound to promote the right to food and raise nationwide public recognition of such right.
She added, the Constitution has no expressed recognition of the right to food and mentions “food” not in a human rights context but in relation to government’s duty of providing a nationwide food and drug regulatory system.
De Lima further noted the Philippines has no law dealing with the right to food, but only by inference or supposition from the more general rights of social justice, adequate standard of living and the like.
Meanwhile, there are two bills filed which tackles the matter and are still awaiting passage, namely House Bill 3711 or the Food Security Act of 2008 authored by Representative Nonato Joson and House Bill 3870 or the National Food Security Act of 2008, authored by Representative Leonila Chavez.
October 16 is the World Food Day. # Miriam P. Aquino/PIA La Union
