MANILA–Some 700 Filipinos gathered outside the Department of Agriculture in Quezon City on Monday, joining Asia-wide protests that call for sustainable, climate-resilient food systems.
The protests come in response to the devastating impacts of climate change, which have crippled the agricultural sector through record-breaking typhoons, floods, and landslides, driving up food insecurity and causing billions in losses.
The mobilizations, led by the Asian Peoples’ Movement on Debt and Development (APMDD), together with labor leaders Leody de Guzman and Atty. Luke Espiritu, spanned countries such as the Philippines, Indonesia, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. These actions coincided with the UN Committee on World Food Security’s annual plenary session, where global food security policies were set for discussion.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Right to Food Guidelines, a framework developed by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to ensure access to adequate and sustainable food. However, campaigners argue that the current food systems are neither sustainable nor resilient, particularly as the impacts of climate change intensify.
Alongside the UN plenary, the protests aligned with the start of the Annual Meeting of the World Bank (WB) and International Monetary Fund (IMF). Campaigners demanded accountability from the WB-IMF, which they claim has promoted neoliberal policies that weakened food systems across the Global South by enabling corporate control of seed systems and land tenure.
Key demands included the return of food, land, and water systems to the people, reparations for decades of harmful policies, and the cancellation of unsustainable debts to allow countries to prioritize climate action and essential services.
Photos by Lei Ventenilla
