“These families have less than P333 for the three basic meals to be shared among their members each day.

Someone once quipped, “The family is where life begins and love never ends.”

This, in a nutshell, captures how we Filipinos view the family. So revered is the family that its protection and preservation remain permanent aspirations for most.

In our jurisdiction, recognition of the sanctity of family life has been elevated to national policy. Thus, our constitution suitably charges the state to “strengthen the family as a basic autonomous social institution.”

The high estimation for the family has spawned a myriad of supporting statutes, policies and programs. Some initiatives address social conditions that impair or threaten the vitality of the family. Other measures seek to reinforce the belief in the family as the epicenter of Philippine society.

Efforts to focus on the significance of the family in our lives seem unnecessary and superfluous, considering our quite formidable pro-family orientation. Such inclination is reflected in how we care for our elderly, how we cherish family relationships even as we cope with the ever-changing but constant challenges in our lives.

One such initiative is the 1992-issued Presidential Proclamation 60 directing the yearly celebration of the National Family Week. Last week marked the 27th commemoration, which commenced on 23 September. The Department of Social Welfare and Development led all government agencies, our courts included, in honoring the Filipino family through meaningful programs that enhance familial ties and strengthen family values.

The Civil Service Commission instructed government agencies, state universities and colleges to end work at 2 p.m. last Monday, enabling workers and students to commemorate the day with their respective families.

The commuted work hours certainly provided the opportunity for government workers to share a meal with their respective families, following the National Committee on the Filipino Family’s (NCFF) call to observe the “Kainang Pamilya Mahalaga Day.”

Really? A government committee to remind us of the importance of having meals with our families?

The NCFF would have accomplished its mandate more effectively had it actually ascertained whether families could even afford a simple meal.

In the survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations for the second quarter of 2019, an estimated 11.1 million families, or roughly 45 percent of Filipinos, consider themselves “poor.” This showed a spike of 7 percentage points from its March 2019 data, where 9.5 million families acknowledged themselves as mahirap.

Worst, the survey revealed 8.5 million families to be “food poor,” or having less than P10,000 to spend each month for food. In simple terms, these families have less than P333 for the three basic meals to be shared among their members each day. This statistic becomes even more dire, when we realize that 57.7 percent of family members are dependents (as per Philippine Statistics Authority).

How can we make Filipino families more resilient in the face of poverty? Perhaps, NCFF should call for a “May Pagkain Bawat Pamilya Day” and enlist everybody’s help in attaining food security for all families. Maybe, start by sharing a meal with a “food poor” family.