Food stamp program will be in full swing in December — DSWD
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will begin the full-scale implementation of the “Walang Gutom 2027: Food Stamp Program” by December, said Undersecretary for Innovations Eduardo Punay.
Punay made the announcement at the 3rd Nutrition Education Session and 4th Redemption Day of pilot beneficiaries in Tondo, Manila on Wednesday, Oct. 18.
“Right now, we are doing the pilot implementation. Our target is 3,000 families within five pilot sites, and we will go full blast with the pilot implementation come December,” he said in a mix of English and Filipino.
Punay said that with the issuance of Executive Order (EO) 44, which establishes the food stamp program as a flagship program of the Marcos Administration, the program's implementation will be assured of funding to help more food-poor families in 2024.
“First and foremost, by declaring that it is a priority program, we are assured of funding next year, so it will be included in the General Appropriations Act—in the national budget next year. Secondly, and very important, is the participation of other agencies because through the EO, which is institutionalizing the program, DSWD is assured of support from other agencies,” he explained.
The FSP is a fully digitized program implemented by the DSWD in partnership with the World Food Program and the Asian Development Bank.
Beneficiaries will be granted monthly food credits worth P3,000 for six months under the program.
The food credits can be used to purchase nutrition-rich food items from DSWD-accredited partner retailers.
Fifty percent of food credits will be allocated to carbohydrate-rich foods like rice and bread (P1,500), 30 percent for proteins like chicken or pork (P900), and 20 percent for vegetables, fruits, oil, salt, and condiments (P600).
To regularly receive monthly food credits, beneficiaries must attend nutrition education sessions, technical skills training from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, and job fairs organized by the Department of Labor and Employment.