WHEREAS, Section 11, Article XIII of the Constitution provides that the State shall adopt an integrated and comprehensive approach to health development which shall endeavor to make essentials goods, health, and other social services available to all at affordable cost;

WHEREAS, Paragraph 2, Article 11 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights provides that States Parties, such as the Philippines, shall recognize the fundamental right of every person to be free from hunger, and undertake efforts to improve production, conservation, and distribution of foods;

WHEREAS, Executive Order (EO) No. 101 (s. 2020), as amended by EO NO. 27 (s. 2023), established the Inter-Agency Task Force on Zero Hunger (Task Force on Zero Hunger) and mandated the same to, among others, coordinate and rationalize all government efforts to attain zero hunger, improve nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture;

WHEREAS, the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028 underscores the importance of a whole-of-government approach to ensure food security and proper nutrition;

WHEREAS, the Enhanced Partnership Against Hunger and Poverty (EPAHP) Program, one of the banner programs of the Task Force on Zero Hunger, aims to institutionalize efforts to mitigate hunger, and promote food and nutrition security by linking Community Based Organizations (CBOs) to prospective markets and providing credit assistance to support food production, processing and distribution;

WHEREAS, it is imperative for all government agencies and instrumentalities to support the continuous and effective implementation of the EPAHP Program to bolster government efforts towards attaining zero hunger, food and nutrition security, and sustainable agriculture; and

WHEREAS, Section 17, Article VII of the Constitution vests in the President the power of control over all Executive departments, bureaus and offices, and the duty to ensure the faithful execution of laws;

NOW, THEREFORE, the following are hereby ordered:

The Task Force on Zero Hunger is hereby directed to ensure the continuous and effective implementation of the EPAHP Program. To this end, the Task Force on Zero Hunger, in coordination with relevant government agencies, shall carry out the following measures, subject to existing laws, rules, and regulations:

a. Strengthen institutional feeding programs of partner agencies;

b. In partnership with government financial institutions (GFIs), extend credit assistance to support food production, processing, and distribution;

c. Link participating CBOs to prospective markets;

d. Enhance provision of farm production technologies and extension of services to government-assisted family farms and rural-based organizations;

e. Enhance  sustainability of the EPAHP Program through the implementation of policies that will encourage the private sector, and institutionalize mechanisms in LGUs;

f. Adopt Community Participation Procurement to encourage CBOs to participate in the EPAHP Program and

g. Construct, repair, and improve irrigation facilities and appurtenant structures in irrigable areas in the countryside.

All national government agencies and instrumentalities, including government-owned or -controlled corporations and GFIs, are hereby directed, and all local government units are hereby encouraged, to extend full support and cooperation to the Task Force on Zero Hunger relative to the implementation of the EPAHP Program.

This Circular shall take effect immediately.

DONE, in the City of Manila, this 19^th day of April, in the year of our Lord, Two Thousand and Twenty-Four.