ROXAS APPEALS TO UN TO SUSTAIN FOOD PROGRAM IN MINDANAO

Citing humanitarian and political reasons, Senator Mar Roxas appealed to the United Nations to maintain its food program for millions of Filipinos in the impoverished and conflict-affected areas in Mindanao.

Roxas expressed concern over reports that due to soaring food prices, the UN might be forced to cut back on its feeding programs serving as many as one million persons in Mindanao .

The UN World Food Programme has provided about $18 million worth of food assistance to poor families, including 187,000 students, since 2006, and as a result has also promoted the education of children in the area. In coordination with the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the UN program has reportedly increased enrollment by as much as 40% and decreased the drop-out rate in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) area in a matter of two years.

"An abrupt cut in humanitarian food programs in Mindanao would leave many families desperate and would have an impact on the increasingly fragile peace in Mindanao ," Roxas pointed out.

The senator said the United Nations could consider appointing a Special Envoy on Rice and Food Security with a clear mandate towards mobilizing the international community for rice and food donations.

"This is the time for wealthier nations to lend a helping hand to the developing world because food shortages can easily be exploited by insurgents and terrorists to undermine democracy and peace in vulnerable regions," he added.

The President of the Liberal Party recalled that a Special UN Representative was designated during the previous earthquake and tsunami disasters to mobilize international aid for the victims.

Roxas lamented that the poor in Mindanao, the Philippine's food basket, have become most vulnerable to food shortages due to the complacency and neglect of the national government, as well as its failure to achieve enduring peace and security in the region. "Mindanao, with its fertile soil and good climate, can be the principal source of rice and corn in the country. Unfortunately, we have failed to invest in the rehabilitation and development of key areas such as the Agusan River Basin System that can offer a wide expanse for irrigated farms," he explained.

The senator pointed out that over-reliance on rice imports is not the key to food security in the Philippines especially since soaring food prices have led rice-producing countries to cut back on export volumes. "Other countries are maximizing their natural resources to ensure adequate food supply. We must do the same because the food crisis will be a recurring one for the next few years," the senator stressed.