Juan in ‘hungerland’ due to mass joblessness, shrinking agri – KMU; New round of price hikes bodes higher hunger stats

Double-digit unemployment, stagnant wages and shrinking agricultural growth pushed hunger to historic levels, making the Philippines a “hungerland” despite efforts by the Arroyo regime to portray a “wonderland,” labor center Kilusang Mayo Uno said today.

KMU said the recent SWS survey, which showed that one out of four Filipino families experienced hunger in the previous month, cannot be simply blamed on the damage wrought by typhoons “Ondoy” and “Pepeng,” as the Arroyo government failed to create decent jobs and boost agricultural growth at the onset.

“How can the Arroyo government expect Filipinos to escape the pangs of hunger if one out of four Filipinos is either jobless or employed in low-paying and temporary work? How can food be sufficient if the country’s agriculture is geared towards producing non-food crops for export while we rely on rice imports?” said KMU chairperson Elmer “Bong” Labog.

“It is absurd to say that more Filipinos are hungry because of typhoons. In reality, Arroyo caused the greatest damage to the livelihood of Filipinos by facilitating widescale job cuts and being an accomplice to massive land-grabbing in the coutryside,” he added.

Labog also said minimum wage rates nationwide have been stagnant for almost two years now even as prices of basic commodities and gasoline have soared several times, making workers incapable of eating even twice a day. 

Meanwhile, farmers are driven away from their source of livelihood as agricultural lands are being converted into subdivisions and leisure areas – endeavors that cannot alleviate hunger. This partly explains why growth of agricultural output has shrunk 1.5 percent in 2009.

Higher hunger stats ahead

KMU also warned that the new round of price hikes in gasoline, rice and flour forebodes a more dismal hunger data in the coming weeks.

“With the recent hikes in prices of basic commodities, the neoliberal policies of deregulation, privatization and liberalization once again show their teeth, eating away at what is left in our pockets.”

“But Gloria Arroyo should be warned: her inaction over recent price hikes is teaching Filipinos that rising up in revolt is the only way to ease growling stomachs,” he said.