One in three Filipino households experience food insecurity or lack of food, based on the National Nutrition Council (NNC) data.
According to NNC Assistant Secretary Azucena Dayanghirang, the lack of food leads to malnutrition.
Dayanghirang said malnutrition is one of the causes of low intelligence quotient (IQ) and stunted growth.
According to NNC, about 26.7 percent of children under five years old were found to be stunted in 2021.
In a statement Thursday, women’s alliance GABRIELA raised alarm on the worsening food insecurity in the Philippines.
"This is not just a statistic; it's a national crisis," GABRIELA Secretary-General Clarice Palce said.
As the third State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. approaches, Palce called on the President to address the rapid increase in the price of goods and utilities.
“When a third of our nation's families cannot put enough food on their tables, we are looking at a systemic failure that demands immediate action,” Palce added.