President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has signed an executive order reorganizing the Inter-Agency Task Force on Zero Hunger.

Under Executive Order No. 66, signed on August 6, the Inter-Agency Task Force on Zero Hunger is mandated to ensure the continuous and effective implementation of the Enhanced Partnership Against Hunger and Poverty Program.

The order said the task force shall be composed of the Secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) as Chairperson, Executive Director of the National Nutrition Council (NNC) as Co-Chairperson, and the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture (DA) as the Vice-Chairperson.

EO No. 66 cited the Philippine Development Plan 2023 to 2028, which underscores the importance of a whole-of-government approach in achieving proper nutrition and food security.

Designated as members are the Secretaries of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), Department of Budget and Management (DBM), Department of Education (DepEd), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Health (DOH), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).

Also appointed as members are the Secretary of the Presidential Communications Office (PCO), Secretary of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), Chairperson of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and the Director-General of Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).

The DOH, DILG, PCO, and TESDA were previously not designated as members of the task force under EO No. 27, issued last year that amended EO 101.

EO No. 101, issued in 2020, established the Inter-Agency Task Force on Zero Hunger to ensure that government policies, initiatives, and projects on attaining zero hunger shall be coordinated, responsive, and effective.

Memorandum Circular No. 47, issued this year, directed the Task Force on Zero Hunger to ensure the continuous and effective implementation of the Enhanced Partnership Against Hunger and Poverty Program which aims to institutionalize the government’s efforts to mitigate hunger, and promote food and nutrition security. | PND