COVID-19 has made bakers and cooks out of our neighbors, young and old. During the first few days of the ECQ, Facebook pages and chat groups were organized, and neighborhoods became a marketplace to sell and buy food made in home kitchens. 

Soon, they also offered fresh produce from the farms north and south of Metro Manila. This was no small miracle as we heard the news of our farmers in Benguet having to destroy their produce because their trucks could not get into the city. 

The pandemic highlighted the country’s food security issues and how vulnerable our farmers are, with most of them living from hand to mouth. But it also gave us hope that young people are working in the agricultural sector to help them. 

For Filipinos, food is always a source of comfort, and it’s time we took care of those that produce it for us.