RISE AGAINST Hunger Philippines (RAHP) works with local partners to help communities recover by restoring access to food after disasters.
In the Philippines, disasters rarely happen in isolation. A typhoon strikes. Crops are damaged. Livelihoods are lost. As communities begin rebuilding, another disaster often follows.
The challenge is becoming increasingly urgent as the country enters the months when nearly 70% of tropical cyclones typically develop. In recent years alone, disasters have affected more than 2 million Filipinos annually, disrupting livelihoods, damaging crops, and limiting access to food in some of the country’s most vulnerable communities.
For Jomar Fleras, executive director of Rise Against Hunger Philippines (RAHP), this is one of the biggest reasons hunger persists in some of the country’s most vulnerable communities.
“The communities affected are often those that were already nutritionally vulnerable to begin with,” he said. “With typhoons and storms coming one after another, there is barely any time for recovery. Crops are destroyed, livelihoods are affected, and the cycle of poverty and hunger continues.”
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), an estimated 37.8 million Filipinos experienced food insecurity from 2022 to 2024 following major disasters each year. For many communities, recovery is not only about rebuilding homes and infrastructure, but restoring access to food and livelihoods.
While many organizations focus on food distribution, RAHP has taken a different approach.
As the country’s first and only nationally accredited food bank, RAHP has built a nationwide network that allows it to respond quickly when disasters strike.
“We don’t do small-scale responses. If we respond, we respond at scale.”
Today, the organization reaches approximately 1.8 million Filipinos annually through food assistance, disaster response, school feeding initiatives, and community programs. Its work is supported by a network of 85 food manufacturers and private-sector partners, yet it operates with only around 25 full-time staff members. The network has grown to the point where government agencies also work with RAHP during major disasters because of its logistics, warehousing, and food distribution capabilities.
Turning corporate support into community impact
Rather than viewing companies simply as donors, RAHP looks for long-term partners that can contribute their own strengths to disaster response.
Today, its network includes food manufacturers, logistics providers, financial institutions, business process outsourcing firms, and multinational companies. Organizations such as Amazon, JP Morgan, and JTI Philippines each play different roles, allowing RAHP to mobilize resources far beyond what a single organization could achieve.
“Companies are not ATMs. We look at our donors as partners. We want organizations that believe in the cause and share our vision of a world without hunger.”
The value of these partnerships often becomes most visible during disasters.
Following a major earthquake in Cebu, for example, RAHP faced an unexpected challenge. Tents had become nearly impossible to source after available supplies were quickly depleted for emergency response. Working with Amazon and local partners, the organization instead developed temporary shelter kits that families could assemble themselves. Residents built the shelters, while an Amazon employee from the affected community helped coordinate volunteers on the ground—turning what could have been a simple donation into a community-led recovery effort.
“What made that response successful wasn’t the donation itself,” Fleras said. “It was the collaboration. People in the community helped build the shelters, volunteers organized the effort, and partners contributed resources. That’s what allows us to respond at scale.”
The same partnership model continues to shape RAHP’s work with organizations across the private sector.
One of those long-term partners is JTI Philippines, which has worked with RAHP for several years by combining financial support, employee volunteerism, and its nationwide operational presence to support food assistance initiatives.
Faith Mondejar, community investment manager of JTI Philippines, said the partnership reflects the company’s belief that businesses should contribute more than funding.
“Every organization has something different to contribute. For us, it’s not only financial support. It’s also our people, our nationwide presence, and the relationships we’ve built in the communities where we operate. That’s why this partnership works. Rise Against Hunger Philippines brings the expertise in food banking and disaster response, while we contribute the strengths we have as an organization. Together, we’re able to reach more communities than either of us could on our own,” said Mondejar.
From food relief to food banking
Looking ahead, RAHP is advocating for the institutionalization of food banking through the proposed Food Banking Bill while continuing to help build the capacity of food banks across the country.
“We’re focused on developing models that others can replicate,” Fleras said. “If more organizations can do what we’re doing, then we can reach more people.”
For RAHP, the goal is to build a food banking system that enables communities to recover faster, reduces food waste, and strengthens the country’s ability to respond to future disasters.
