FACT CHECK | Imee Marcos’ claim that no child starved due to nutribun is false

June 8, 2022 , 03:38 PM

(June 8, 2022) – Sen. Imee Marcos on Monday claimed that no child starved in the past as she went on to tout the abundance of the ever-famous nutribun in schools during her father’s heavy-handed rule.

Her statement is false.

CLAIM:

Marcos, the elder sister of President-elect Bongbong Marcos Jr., visited Davao City to thank the people who voted for her brother. He earned almost 650,000 votes from the hometown of his running mate Vice President-elect Sara Duterte-Carpio.

In her message to supporters in Brgy. Buhangin, Marcos yet again boasted about nutribun, which many of their loyalists attribute to the late dictator.

“Nutribun! Walang nagugutom na bata noon, kay nutribun ang sagana,” said Marcos. “Kapag kakainin mo, parang semento sa tiyan, may kasama pang tagaktak ng Klim (na) gatas. Ang mga lolas and mommies talagang fully charged hanggang ngayon dahil powered by nutribun!”

RATING: False

FACTS:

Nutribun was a widely distributed snack in feeding programs to help fight malnutrition among children. But contrary to claims, this was a project developed by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in the 1970s. It ended in 1997.

Local and foreign media have documented cases of starvation during the dictatorial rule of the elder Marcos. One notable case was the Negros famine in the 1980s.

In an article, the Washington Post wrote that the famine was closely tied to the decline of the sugar industry in Negros. Local groups also blamed Roberto Benedicto, a Marcos crony and the appointed head of the National Sugar Trading Corporation, for passing the losses to sugar planters when the market fell.

Planters were left with $400 million in debts and additional interest rates, according to the report.

“Through it all, the worst hit have been the hacienda workers, most of whom were paid well below the minimum farm wage even in good times and lived at or below the poverty line,” read the report.

It added that at least 74% of the 946,000 children below 15 years old in Negros Occidental were “estimated to be suffering from varying degrees of malnutrition.” Negros Occidental has around 2.2 million citizens when the article was published.

John Silva, an acclaimed author, also took a now-famous photo of a malnourished child in Negros during the famine.

Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and the effects of the famine they caused in Negros Island. This happened in our country, and yet those who are ignorant of facts call it the “golden years of the Philippines”. Maginhawa ba yan? Sige nutribun pa kayo. pic.twitter.com/QJ2OlW3NeZ

— The Dork Knight (@TheDorkKnight9) October 14, 2021

WHY THIS MATTERS:

Akademya at Bayan Kontra Disimpormasyon at Dayaan (ABKD) previously published a report debunking similar claims that no Filipino was hungry during the time of the late dictator. Facebook page “Giting ng Pasig,” which posted the false claim, noted that nutribun, milk, and rice were being distributed at that time.

ABKD, a member of Facts First PH, cited a 1982 survey by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute that revealed around 67% did not have sufficient food intake. It also noted that around 69% pre-school children were underweight.

“Isa sa bawat anim ay mas mababa ang timbang sa 75 porsyento na nararapat sa kanilang edad. Ganito na ang kalagayan bago pa ang krisis pang-ekonomiya ng 1983 na lalo pang nagpalala sa kagutuman at kasalatan ng pagkain,” read the report of ABKD.

Marcos, the first president elected through a majority vote, was the top beneficiary of disinformation, according to independent fact-checking network Tsek.PH.

News5 is part of #FactsFirstPH which brings together various sectors that are committed to promoting truth in the public space, and exacting accountability on those who harm it with lies. For those interested to join the initiative, e-mail info@factsfirst.ph. Message News 5’s Facebook page if you want to have any claims fact-checked. Read our fact-checking policy here.

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