DSWD adjusts food stamp program; less dependency on gov't eyed
Published Jun 4, 2023 02:16 am
The government is now making adjustments to its food stamp program to lessen the dependence of beneficiaries on government assistance.
Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Undersecretary Edu Punay said they are now working on the design of the food program to lessen the dependence of the beneficiaries on government assistance.
“One very novel aspect that we’re introducing, or component, is the conditionality. Ang gusto natin (mabawasan) iyong dependency ng ating mga beneficiary sa government assistance na nakikita natin, for example sa 4Ps, (dahil) talagang masyadong dependent na (We want to lessen the dependency of our beneficiary on government assistance that we're seeing, for example on 4Ps, they have become very dependent on it),” Punay said news forum on Saturday, June 3.
“Admittedly, ang ating mga ilang beneficiaries diyan, ayaw nang umalis sa 4Ps kahit na due for graduation na sila. Ito iyong gusto nating iwasan sa mga bagong programs nating gagawin (some of our beneficiaries there do not want to leave 4Ps even though they are due for graduation. This is what we want to avoid in the new program). That’s why we have the conditionalities now for the food stamp program,” Punay added.
Punay said they are drafting a design for the food stamp program that will require the beneficiary families to be involved in labor-capacity building.
“We want them to enroll in training programs of DOLE (Department of Labor and Employment) and TESDA (Technical Education and Skills Development Authority) so that we can capacitate them to stand on their own,” he said.
“While we're helping them with their food requirements, siguro iyong maitutulong natin na pagkain sa kanila, pambili ng pagkain – gamitin na lang po nilang pamasahe papunta sa TESDA, papunta sa DOLE, paghahanap ng trabaho – iyon po ang target nitong programa na ito so that when they graduate after three or four years mayroon na silang trabaho (Maybe they can use the assistance they can get for food as fare going to TESDA, DOLE, for job hunting— that's the target of this program so that when they graduate after three or four years, they already have jobs). They can sustain their livelihood. They can sustain their food requirements,” Punay added.
He said that another key feature of the food stamp program is the exit mechanism for the beneficiaries, which will graduate beneficiaries after three to four years.
The food stamp program or the “Walang Gutom 2027” aims to provide electronic benefit transfers that will be loaded with food credits amounting to P3,000 to purchase a select list of food commodities from DSWD accredited local retailers.
It intends to target the bottom one million households from Listahanan 3 who belong to the food poor criteria as defined by the PSA.
It will start its [pilot testing](https://mb.com.ph/2023/5/23/adb-provides-us-3-m-for-food-stamp-program-pilot-testing) in the second half of the year.
The five pilot sites are from different geopolitical characteristics – one in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), what used to be a former conflict area; one in geographically isolated regions or provinces; one in urban poor settings; one will be calamity-stricken areas; and one will be a rural poor area.
Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Undersecretary Edu Punay said they are now working on the design of the food program to lessen the dependence of the beneficiaries on government assistance.
“One very novel aspect that we’re introducing, or component, is the conditionality. Ang gusto natin (mabawasan) iyong dependency ng ating mga beneficiary sa government assistance na nakikita natin, for example sa 4Ps, (dahil) talagang masyadong dependent na (We want to lessen the dependency of our beneficiary on government assistance that we're seeing, for example on 4Ps, they have become very dependent on it),” Punay said news forum on Saturday, June 3.
“Admittedly, ang ating mga ilang beneficiaries diyan, ayaw nang umalis sa 4Ps kahit na due for graduation na sila. Ito iyong gusto nating iwasan sa mga bagong programs nating gagawin (some of our beneficiaries there do not want to leave 4Ps even though they are due for graduation. This is what we want to avoid in the new program). That’s why we have the conditionalities now for the food stamp program,” Punay added.
Punay said they are drafting a design for the food stamp program that will require the beneficiary families to be involved in labor-capacity building.
“We want them to enroll in training programs of DOLE (Department of Labor and Employment) and TESDA (Technical Education and Skills Development Authority) so that we can capacitate them to stand on their own,” he said.
“While we're helping them with their food requirements, siguro iyong maitutulong natin na pagkain sa kanila, pambili ng pagkain – gamitin na lang po nilang pamasahe papunta sa TESDA, papunta sa DOLE, paghahanap ng trabaho – iyon po ang target nitong programa na ito so that when they graduate after three or four years mayroon na silang trabaho (Maybe they can use the assistance they can get for food as fare going to TESDA, DOLE, for job hunting— that's the target of this program so that when they graduate after three or four years, they already have jobs). They can sustain their livelihood. They can sustain their food requirements,” Punay added.
He said that another key feature of the food stamp program is the exit mechanism for the beneficiaries, which will graduate beneficiaries after three to four years.
The food stamp program or the “Walang Gutom 2027” aims to provide electronic benefit transfers that will be loaded with food credits amounting to P3,000 to purchase a select list of food commodities from DSWD accredited local retailers.
It intends to target the bottom one million households from Listahanan 3 who belong to the food poor criteria as defined by the PSA.
It will start its [pilot testing](https://mb.com.ph/2023/5/23/adb-provides-us-3-m-for-food-stamp-program-pilot-testing) in the second half of the year.
The five pilot sites are from different geopolitical characteristics – one in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), what used to be a former conflict area; one in geographically isolated regions or provinces; one in urban poor settings; one will be calamity-stricken areas; and one will be a rural poor area.