The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said it is continuously intensifying its efforts to combat hunger through the Walang Gutom Program (WGP), following the release of the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey, which showed a significant rise in hunger incidence among Filipino families.
The March 2025 SWS survey revealed that 27.2 percent of Filipino families experienced involuntary hunger at least once in the past three months. This is a six-point increase from 21.2 percent in the previous survey.
https://mb.com.ph/2025/3/29/sws-hunger-incidence-soars-nationwide-in-march-2025
In response, DSWD spokesperson Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao pointed out that the department has been consistently focused on expanding the WGP to reach more households in need.
“We recognize the growing challenge of food insecurity, and the latest survey reinforces the urgency of enhancing and further expanding the government’s WGP,” she said in a statement on Sunday, March 30.
Dumlao explained that DSWD is currently providing P3,000 in monthly food aid to 300,000 food-poor households nationwide, helping about 1.5 million individuals.
The department plans to expand this reach to 750,000 households by 2027 as part of its broader strategy to reduce hunger.
“As always emphasized by Secretary Rex Gatchalian, fighting hunger may be difficult but it is doable. This is why we continue to intensify our Walang Gutom Program and other anti-hunger initiatives in partnership with other government agencies,” Dumlao said.
The Walang Gutom Kitchen, located in Pasay City, continues to operate, providing hot meals to vulnerable individuals, including those in street situations, by turning surplus food donations from hotels, restaurants, and organizations into nutritious meals.
“Based on the latest survey, the hunger rate in Metro Manila, where the WGP was first piloted and the Walang Gutom Kitchen is being implemented, did not increase. This is somehow a reflection that, slowly, these two DSWD-led hunger efforts are on the right track,” Dumlao said.
In addition to direct food aid, DSWD is conducting nutrition education through programs such as the WGP Kusinero Cook-Off Challenge, which encourages families to prepare healthy meals using food provided by the program.
“These initiatives complement the WGP by ensuring that families not only have access to food but also understand how to make the most of their resources to maintain a healthy diet,” Dumlao said.