How Families in Lipa Secure Food amidst Inflating Food Insecurity
February 16 2023

How Families in Lipa Secure Food amidst Inflating Food Insecurity

Inflation has soared rapidly in a span of months since the latter half of 2022. As of January 2023, inflation rate has hit 10.7%, greatly affecting prices of many food products. From a prescribed budget of 500 pesos for Noche Buena for the entire family to bundles of onions reaching prices of more than 700 pesos, the steadily rising prices has put many Filipino families further in familiar struggles. Families had to find different ways to provide for and sustain themselves and their children. 

In the urban communities of Lipa, families that were and are part of SOS’s Family Strengthening Program (FSP) are highly affected by months of significant price hikes despite no raise in wages while they are still recovering from the economic impact of the pandemic. Food security has become an even deeper hurdle due to inflation, especially considering the transition back to normalcy. 

Most families in the FSP work at minimum wage, their work ranging from transport as tricycle drivers or drivers for companies, to selling wares and food in the local markets. Though they are gradually recovering, the financial situation of the country still puts families in a bind. For some families, they would loan money from people they know just to pay for their bills and sustain their children’s food. 

“500 pesos nowadays feel like pocket change.” Nanay Merites, one of many participants of FSP in Lipa, shares a recently common sentiment among many people with how even staple food products have become relatively expensive. People either restrict their food choices or go with alternative purchases to save money while still trying to keep their meals as nutritious as possible.  

 Though Nanay Merites spends P500 a day for food on her family’s table, they still have to portion their food for the entire family because it’s still lacking. 

For one, more people have been buying pre-cracked eggs stored in plastic bags instead of buying individual eggs recently. Each plastic bag contains five to six pre-cracked eggs which cost around 15 pesos, compared to one egg which now costs eight pesos when it used to be five. Some people also save money by buying food from carinderias instead of buying ingredients.  

Meat has become expensive, and some have turned to this method to keep meat in their diets when they can. Some vegetables have remained at the same price but are being sold at lesser quantities that whatever they buy is being mixed with other ingredients they might have to put together a meal when they can. Nanay Regina, another FSP participant, makes do with what they have when they do afford to buy more food at times. But even with scarcity, there are still staple foods they can’t miss out on like rice. 

Along with food-related expenses, they also have to juggle other expenses, primarily utility bills like water and electricity. Sometimes, one of their children or other family members will get sick, hence adding medical bills to their expenditure. That’s why despite the growing difficulty of buying more food, many of them prefer their children to still be able to eat proper meals. Nanay Merites would tell her children: “Don’t skimp out on food or you will get sick, and we don’t have enough money to pay for medicine.” 

 The inflation that came in time with the return of face-to-face classes put a tighter constraint of many families’ expenses. Nevertheless, they prefer that their children do not skimp out on meals. 

With face-to-face classes back in full-swing in the Philippines, families’ budgets have to be divided further again. The pandemic gave families a bit of reprieve from giving baon to their children and have to focus on helping their children finish their modules online. For Nanay Merites, any extra money they saved during the pandemic went to meals for the family at home. 

Amidst the inflation and rising prices, SOS Children’s Villages Philippines is doing its best to provide financial assistance to the families under FSP to help lessen the load of their expenses, alongside educational assistance for their children. In turn, the families in these communities have been able to better provide for their children despite the difficulties imposed by inflation. 

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