As President Duterte placed Metro Manila under “community quarantine” following the rise in local transmission of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the country’s top agriculture official assured that Metro Manila, home to nearly 14 million people, will have enough food supply including rice, vegetables, and meat at least in the next few months. But on the possible worst case scenario, with retailers no longer willing to sell food amid the pandemic, Agriculture Secretary William Dar didn’t offer anything concrete but said, “let’s pray that it’s not going to happen”. Other than rice, Dar assured that there will be enough basic food items like pork, chicken, eggs, other poultry products, fish, vegetables, fruits, sugar, and cooking oil for Metro Manila. Meanwhile, demand for fish is forecast to be 8,000 MT per week, while the supply stands at 10,264 MT per week coming from Philippine Fisheries Development Authority (PFDA), Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), Regions 1, 3, and 4-B.

Miraflor, M. B., & San Juan, A. D. (2020, March 14). DA assures enough food supply for Metro Manila’s 14-M population. Manila Bulletin, pp. 1, 8.