In response to the Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey results showing a rise in hunger among Filipino families, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Friday, Oct. 18 said the expanded “Walang Gutom 2027” food stamp program will effectively tackle the growing food insecurity in the country.
DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian highlighted the ramped-up implementation of the food stamp program following the SWS survey revealing that the proportion of Filipino families experiencing involuntary hunger increased from 17.6 percent in the second quarter to 22.9 percent in the third quarter of 2024.
“As we expand the Walang Gutom program from an initial pilot implementation covering 2,300 household beneficiaries in five areas to 300,000 household beneficiaries in 22 provinces in 10 regions, we are confident that this will ease the hunger situation and significantly improve the quality of life for affected families,” Gatchalian said.
“We are committed to addressing this issue head-on. Our goal is to ensure that no Filipino family goes hungry,” he added.
While the survey is based on experiential data and self-assessment, Gatchalian said the DSWD recognizes the seriousness of these figures.
READ MORE: https://mb.com.ph/2024/10/17/more-filipinos-experienced-hunger
The department is taking immediate and decisive actions, including enhancements to the nationwide implementation of the Walang Gutom program, to effectively address hunger and poverty across the country, he added.
The program aims to address immediate hunger while also equipping beneficiaries with job skills through collaborations with the Department of Labor and Employment and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.
“We have already identified our target areas where concentration of food-poor families and prevalence of malnutrition are high. And we have already started the redemption of food credits or distribution of food items in these priority sites,” he said.
Currently, around 180,000 beneficiaries have been enrolled, with some 80,000 receiving monthly food credits of P3,000.
Beneficiaries receive electronic benefit transfer cards preloaded with P3,000 food credits, which can be used to purchase a select list of food commodities.
Declared a flagship initiative by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. through Executive Order No. 44 issued in 2023, the Walang Gutom aims to ensure access to sufficient and nutritious food while improving the overall well-being of low-income families nationwide.