Drop in food poverty shows impact of gov’t efforts, interventions

By Marita Moaje, Philippine News Agency

BENTENG BIGAS. Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. led the provincial launching of the “Benteng Bigas, Meron Na!” program in Lingayen, Pangasinan on Tuesday (Jan. 13, 2026). On Wednesday (Jan. 21, 2026), Tiu-Laurel cited the latest OCTA Research survey that shows a sharp decline in food poverty, attributing it to the sustained government efforts to secure food supply and stabilize prices. (Photo: PNA/Facebook)

MANILA – The Department of Agriculture (DA) attributed the sharp decline in food poverty in the last quarter of 2025 to the sustained government efforts to secure food supply and stabilize prices.

In a news release Wednesday, the DA cited the latest Tugon ng Masa (TNM) survey by OCTA Research, which showed a decline in self-rated food poverty from 49 percent to 30 percent, down by 19 percent.

OCTA Research said this represented roughly 5 million families, and marks one of the fastest improvements in food poverty perceptions in the TNM series.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the results demonstrate that government efforts and interventions, such as the “Benteng Bigas, Meron Na!” program that aims to ensure adequate food supply and affordable prices, are reaching Filipino households.

“These results show that our programs are reaching Filipino families. We will continue to ensure consumers have access to affordable food with stable prices, while helping farmers, fisherfolk, and other food producers earn more,” he said.

“This year, we are scaling up President Ferdinand Marcos’ PHP20 rice program to reach 15 million households, or roughly 60 million Filipinos,” he added.

Tiu-Laurel said the President wants to sustain the PHP20 rice program until the end of his term in June 2028.

He also cited increased budget for farm and related infrastructures, including farm-to-market roads, cold storage facilities, food hubs, deepwater ports, rice dryers, warehouses, and greenhouses, to boost production, lower food costs, and increase rural incomes, which was approved by the President and by both the Senate and the House of Representatives

The DA said that while self-rated hunger rose from 11 percent to 16 percent in the fourth quarter, OCTA noted that nearly 80 percent of affected families experienced hunger only once or a few times, indicating short-term or episodic food stress rather than chronic hunger.

While economists acknowledge that sustaining the gains in reducing food poverty will require continued support for food production and price management, they also noted that the survey signals meaningful progress in strengthening household food security through consistent government action.