Advocacy groups marking World Food Day warned that rising prices, poverty, and marine degradation are putting greater pressure on food security in the Philippines.
IBON Foundation said 52.6 million Filipinos were unable to afford a healthy diet in 2025, citing data from the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization.
IBON said 52.6 million Filipinos could not afford a healthy diet last year, the second-highest figure among Southeast Asian countries for which data were available. Indonesia recorded 195.9 million people, followed by Vietnam with 7.1 million, Lao PDR with 3.9 million and Malaysia with 500,000.
The Center for People Empowerment in Governance, or CenPEG, said food security cannot be measured simply by the availability of food in markets because millions of families remain unable to afford adequate and nutritious meals.
Citing Philippine Statistics Authority data, the group said headline inflation rose to 7.2% in September from 6.1% in August, while food inflation reached 6.8%. Rice prices were 20.3% higher than a year earlier.
Inflation among the bottom 30% of income households reached 9%, while food inflation stood at 9.8%. Rice inflation for the same group climbed to 23.6%, CenPEG said.
The group also pointed to the weakening peso, which the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas placed at about 63.06 pesos to the U.S. dollar as of Oct. 15. It said the weaker currency raises the cost of imported fuel, fertilizers, agricultural machinery and other inputs used across the food supply chain.
For families already spending a substantial portion of their income on food, higher prices can mean buying less, shifting to cheaper and often less nutritious alternatives, or sacrificing spending on medicine, education, transportation and utilities.
“Food is not simply a commodity. It is a basic human need and a right,” CenPEG said.
The group called for stronger domestic food production, reduced dependence on imported agricultural inputs, greater investment in irrigation and climate-resilient agriculture, improved storage and distribution systems, and stronger support for small farmers and fisherfolk.
“The true measure of economic development is not merely the strength of economic indicators, but whether Filipino families can afford sufficient and nutritious food without sacrificing their other basic needs,” CenPEG said.
It added: “A nation cannot claim food security when food is available—but increasingly beyond the reach of the people.”
The Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development, or CEED, said food security also depends on protecting marine ecosystems that sustain fisheries and coastal communities.
Ahead of the 17th U.N. Convention on Biological Diversity conference in Armenia, CEED raised concerns over continuing environmental vulnerabilities in the Verde Island Passage, described in its statement as the world’s “center of the center” of marine shorefish species.
A newly published CEED assessment found that all six marine protected areas sampled in 2026 in Pola and Pinamalayan exceeded the oil-and-grease threshold for water quality in protected marine and coastal areas.
Seagrass cover also declined at three of four monitored sites compared with previous recovery peaks, with Puting Cacao recording a 99% decline.
CEED said the oil and grease detected could not be conclusively attributed to the 2023 oil spill off Mindoro, but the findings highlighted continuing vulnerabilities and gaps in long-term environmental monitoring.
“Food security begins with healthy ecosystems,” said Gerry Arances, executive director of CEED.
He said threats from pollution and industrial activity affect not only marine life but also fisherfolk, families and communities that depend on the sea for food and income.
“Protecting the Verde Island Passage means protecting the natural foundations of our food systems,” Arances said.
The 2023 oil spill caused an estimated 40.1 billion pesos in environmental damage and 1.1 billion pesos in socioeconomic losses, according to CEED. A fishing ban affected at least 24,698 fisherfolk.
The group said gaps in rehabilitation, pollution monitoring and reparation remain concerns, while inadequate environmental recovery threatens the resilience of coastal communities and the ecosystems on which fisheries depend.
Fr. Edwin Gariguez, lead convenor of Protect Verde Island Passage, said World Food Day should also draw attention to the ecosystems and communities that sustain the country’s food supply.
Gariguez said “protecting food is not just about making it available in markets” but also about safeguarding seas, ecosystems and communities that feed people.
He said their vulnerabilities worsen amid the convergence of climate, economic and ecological pressures.
“The Philippines cannot reliably champion biodiversity while leaving marine environments exposed to preventable risks–especially from fossil fuels, which are clearly incompatible to sensitive waters,” Gariguez said.
CEED urged the government to strengthen protection of the Verde Island Passage, including its designation under the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System Act.
The group also called for a coordinated, corridor-wide environmental monitoring and rehabilitation program, fair compensation for affected communities and meaningful participation in decisions affecting their livelihoods.
“The VIP proves that marine conservation, food security, and a rapid, equitable transition away from fossil fuels must advance together–in the Philippines and across the globe,” Arances said.
