MANILA — Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan is calling on the Senate to investigate the persistently high prices of food and basic agricultural commodities, warning that rising costs are worsening hunger and undermining food security for millions of Filipino families.

In a resolution filed on July 8, Pangilinan urged the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food and Agrarian Reform to conduct an inquiry in aid of legislation aimed at identifying urgent interventions to make food more affordable, protect consumers from excessive price hikes, and strengthen the country’s food security.

“Many consumers still experience limited access to affordable food,” the resolution noted, even as the government has implemented measures such as importation, price monitoring, and targeted subsidies.

The resolution comes amid growing public concern over the prices of essential items like rice, vegetables, meat, and fish, which have continued to climb in recent months. The situation has hit the poorest sectors hardest, depriving them of access to healthy and nutritious food.

Pangilinan called on the Senate to review the effectiveness of current policies and programs, identify systemic gaps, and recommend appropriate legislative and administrative solutions to address food inflation.

The resolution also pointed to findings from government agencies that cite several contributing factors to food inflation: supply chain disruptions, high production and transport costs, importation constraints, hoarding and profiteering, and the worsening impacts of climate change on local agriculture.

It also referenced the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey released on June 28, which showed that 20 percent of Filipino families experienced involuntary hunger at least once in the past three months—up from 19.1 percent in April 2025. Hunger was highest in Mindanao (26.3%), followed by Metro Manila (20.3%), the Visayas (19.7%), and Balance Luzon (17%).