Calling it a “very special” event, new French Ambassador to the Philippines Marie Fontanel joined President Marcos for the launching of his administration’s Food Stamp Program (FSP) in Siargao Island, Surigao del Norte on Friday, Sept. 29.
French Ambassador to the Philippines Marie Fontanel (left) joins President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (right) during the launch of the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Food Stamp Program in Siargao on Friday, Sept. 29, 2023. (Photo from the Presidential Communications Office)
In a video post on X (formerly Twitter), the envoy shared that Siargao Island signals her “first business trip” outside Manila for a “very, very special occasion.”
“1st visit outside Manila ! I was in Siargao for the launching by @bongbongmarcosbof of a food stamps programme / walang gutom that @AFD_France is co-financing,” she wrote.
The envoy then noted partnership of Philippines and France in ensuring food security among its citizens.
“Food security is one of the priorities of (France, the Philippines) cooperation. #MarieInManila becomes #MarieInSiargao today!,” she added.
Aside from the video message, Fontanel also included photos of the launch, where she was seen sitting beside and shaking hands with the President.
Another photo showed a “Kadiwa ng Pangulo” food stall, where fruits and vegetables were being sold for a more competitive price than in the local markets.
During the launch, the Chief Executive thanked the program’s international sponsors, such as the United Nations’ World Food Programme, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and the government of France.
A flagship program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the FSP provides Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards, loaded with P3,000 food credits, to some 50 beneficiaries in the province.
It aims “to decrease the incidence of involuntary hunger by improving the availability and accessibility of nutritious food for less fortunate households while helping address nutritional concerns,” a statement from the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said.
It is currently in its pilot launch with 3,000 families as beneficiaries in five areas, namely, Tondo, Manila; Dapa, Siargao; San Mariano, Isabela; Garchitorena, Camarines Sur; and Parang, Maguindanao.
Marcos expressed confidence in the program’s progress so far, and said that they will be “upscaling” it “within the next month or so.”