1 00:00:01,668 --> 00:00:03,703 ANNA COREN: With her youngest just three years old, 2 00:00:03,803 --> 00:00:09,242 Mona Liza Vito has nine children and no way to feed them. 3 00:00:09,342 --> 00:00:11,077 Since the pandemic hit the Philippines, 4 00:00:11,177 --> 00:00:14,114 repeated lockdowns have left millions, like Mona Liza, 5 00:00:14,214 --> 00:00:17,484 unable to work or to eat. 6 00:00:17,584 --> 00:00:19,085 MONA LIZA VITO: [non-english speech] 7 00:00:19,185 --> 00:00:21,121 INTERPRETER: We don't have anything for my children's 8 00:00:21,221 --> 00:00:23,923 food, for daily expenses. 9 00:00:24,024 --> 00:00:26,092 MONA LIZA VITO: [non-english speech] 10 00:00:26,192 --> 00:00:29,262 INTERPRETER: Sometimes at night, we don't have anything to eat. 11 00:00:29,362 --> 00:00:31,564 We can only wait for the next day. 12 00:00:31,664 --> 00:00:33,600 ANNA COREN: Her husband used to work in construction, 13 00:00:33,700 --> 00:00:37,170 and Mona Liza used to peel sacks of garlic to get by, 14 00:00:37,270 --> 00:00:39,639 but even that work has dried up. 15 00:00:39,739 --> 00:00:42,008 Funding internet access for online learning 16 00:00:42,108 --> 00:00:46,413 has also added another expense and a hard choice. 17 00:00:46,513 --> 00:00:47,614 MONA LIZA VITO: [non-english speech] 18 00:00:47,714 --> 00:00:49,282 INTERPRETER: If we can't put in the money, 19 00:00:49,382 --> 00:00:51,084 they can't go to class. 20 00:00:51,184 --> 00:00:52,385 MONA LIZA VITO: [non-english speech] 21 00:00:52,485 --> 00:00:53,887 INTERPRETER: I would rather spend that money. 22 00:00:53,987 --> 00:00:56,256 So the children can have breakfast. 23 00:00:56,356 --> 00:00:59,426 ANNA COREN: The family lives in Baseco, one of Manila's poorest 24 00:00:59,526 --> 00:01:01,928 neighborhoods, which houses nearly 60,000 25 00:01:02,028 --> 00:01:05,165 people living cheek by jowl. 26 00:01:05,265 --> 00:01:07,500 And Mona Liza, like many of her neighbors, 27 00:01:07,600 --> 00:01:10,370 now rely on community kitchens. 28 00:01:10,470 --> 00:01:13,840 Volunteers prepare cabbage, pumpkin, and rice at dawn-- 29 00:01:13,940 --> 00:01:16,543 food donated by farmers, fishermen, and anyone 30 00:01:16,643 --> 00:01:20,447 who can afford it to give out to those who need it most. 31 00:01:20,547 --> 00:01:21,848 MONA LIZA VITO: [non-english speech] 32 00:01:21,948 --> 00:01:23,083 INTERPRETER: I am grateful. 33 00:01:23,183 --> 00:01:25,485 Our rice and vegetables are free. 34 00:01:25,585 --> 00:01:27,253 My children are no longer hungry. 35 00:01:27,353 --> 00:01:29,689 - [non-english speech] 36 00:01:29,789 --> 00:01:33,093 ANNA COREN: And there is visible desperation from the recipients 37 00:01:33,193 --> 00:01:36,963 as there's never enough to go around. 38 00:01:37,063 --> 00:01:38,865 Hundreds of these kitchens have popped up 39 00:01:38,965 --> 00:01:41,101 to address the growing hunger crisis 40 00:01:41,201 --> 00:01:44,471 in this impoverished nation of 100 million people 41 00:01:44,571 --> 00:01:48,108 and to fill in the huge gaps left by the government. 42 00:01:48,208 --> 00:01:50,410 Poor households did receive some cash 43 00:01:50,510 --> 00:01:52,879 handouts and food supplies, but not 44 00:01:52,979 --> 00:01:54,881 nearly enough to survive on. 45 00:01:54,981 --> 00:01:57,117 NADJA DE VERA: [non-english speech] 46 00:01:57,217 --> 00:01:58,651 INTERPRETER: We have no choice but to organize 47 00:01:58,751 --> 00:02:00,053 something like this. 48 00:02:00,086 --> 00:02:02,155 I hope the government will learn that this is a call to action 49 00:02:02,255 --> 00:02:04,624 to them, and we hope that the right amount of resources 50 00:02:04,724 --> 00:02:07,727 will finally reach those who really need it. 51 00:02:07,827 --> 00:02:09,329 ANNA COREN: As the hunger crisis bites, 52 00:02:09,429 --> 00:02:13,800 officials are looking to COVID-19 vaccines as a way out. 53 00:02:13,900 --> 00:02:16,736 But with rollout delays and huge vaccine hesitancy, 54 00:02:16,836 --> 00:02:18,838 they face an uphill battle. 55 00:02:18,938 --> 00:02:22,542 A survey in March showed only 6% of Filipinos 56 00:02:22,642 --> 00:02:24,744 would be willing to get vaccinated. 57 00:02:24,844 --> 00:02:29,516 More than 60% said they would refuse one. 58 00:02:29,616 --> 00:02:32,886 Retired seamstress Letty Zambrona is one of them, 59 00:02:32,986 --> 00:02:34,854 despite being in a vulnerable age group 60 00:02:34,954 --> 00:02:37,891 and suffering from diabetes and high blood pressure. 61 00:02:37,991 --> 00:02:39,192 LETTY ZAMBRONA: [non-english speech] 62 00:02:39,292 --> 00:02:40,894 INTERPRETER: It is really because of the side effects 63 00:02:40,994 --> 00:02:42,729 that I don't want to get vaccinated. 64 00:02:42,829 --> 00:02:44,564 LETTY ZAMBRONA: [non-english speech] 65 00:02:44,664 --> 00:02:46,799 INTERPRETER: Because I keep hearing this news on TV, 66 00:02:46,900 --> 00:02:50,136 like some have blood clots in their brains. 67 00:02:50,236 --> 00:02:51,604 ANNA COREN: President Duterte, himself, 68 00:02:51,704 --> 00:02:54,307 received the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine 69 00:02:54,407 --> 00:02:57,310 before halting its rollout, after he was criticized 70 00:02:57,410 --> 00:03:00,580 for taking a vaccine that hadn't been approved by the country's 71 00:03:00,680 --> 00:03:04,384 National Drug regulator. 72 00:03:04,484 --> 00:03:07,120 Back in Baseco, Mona Liza returns home 73 00:03:07,220 --> 00:03:11,124 after receiving her donation, a small amount of food she needs 74 00:03:11,224 --> 00:03:13,826 to stretch a very long way. 75 00:03:13,927 --> 00:03:16,596 For many of these families, the fear of coronavirus 76 00:03:16,696 --> 00:03:19,999 will never compare to the threat of hunger. 77 00:03:20,099 --> 00:03:23,736 Anna Coren, CNN, Hong Kong.