Akbayan Party-list Representative Chel Diokno has filed a measure seeking to prohibit political branding on government food assistance, warning against the use of public aid for partisan gain.
“There must be criminal liability for discriminatory distribution,” said Diokno. “Ang pagkain ay karapatan ‘yan, hindi ‘yan utang na loob sa mga pulitiko.”
The lawmaker made the remarks during a House Committee on Human Rights hearing, which is deliberating on proposals to establish a national legal framework for food security and nutrition policies.
Diokno stressed that beyond banning political logos and names on relief goods, the measure should impose criminal penalties for discriminatory distribution of food aid.
He also called for an anonymous grievance mechanism to allow families to report irregularities without fear of retaliation, ensuring swift government response.
Additional proposals include a transparent system for identifying beneficiaries with privacy safeguards, stronger accountability measures for officials tasked with addressing hunger, and automatic congressional review if food security targets are missed for two consecutive years.
“We have to have mechanisms in place. For example, automatic congressional review if targets aren’t met or are missed for two consecutive years,” Diokno said. “Mandatory appearance of concerned secretaries para ma-ipaliwanag nila sa atin kung ano ang ginagawa, hindi nila ginagawa.”
To further promote transparency, Diokno urged the government to publish a quarterly hunger dashboard and allow automatic reallocation of unused food funds to maximize resources and ensure public monitoring.