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Manila Bulletin devider Business devider NEDA Board OKs upgraded food stamp program

NEDA Board OKs upgraded food stamp program

Hike in project cost of Chinese loan-funded Kaliwa Dam project also approved

Published Apr 24, 2025 03:08 am

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The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board chaired by President Marcos has approved the rollout of the Reducing Food Insecurity and Undernutrition with Electronic Vouchers (REFUEL) project which is an upgrade of the current food stamp program of the government.

The approval came just days ahead of the NEDA Board’s reorganization under Republic Act (RA) No. 12145, also known as the Economy, Planning, and Development Act. The law, which takes effect on April 27, 2025, will rename the NEDA Board as the Economy and Development (ED) Council, and will continue to be headed by the President.

“By approving the REFUEL project, the government demonstrates its unwavering commitment to fight food insecurity and undernutrition. The program reflects a renewed focus toward ending involuntary hunger, uplifting vulnerable communities, and promoting resilience through smart, nutrition-sensitive social protection,” NEDA Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan said in a statement on Thursday, April 24.

REFUEL is an upgraded version of the Philippine Food Strategic Transfer and Alternative Measures Program (STAMP) and is implemented by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). It will continue to operate under the Walang Gutom 2027 food stamp program—one of the flagship initiatives of the Marcos administration.

NEDA noted that the need for such a program remains pressing, as the 2023 National Nutrition Survey by the Department of Science and Technology’s Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST-FNRI) has shown that three in every 10 Filipino households experience moderate to severe food insecurity. Meanwhile, three out of every 100 households are categorized as facing severe food insecurity.

Under REFUEL, the government plans to expand coverage of the Walang Gutom program for the period 2025 to 2028. It will target 750,000 food-insecure households, identified using the DSWD’s Listahanan 3 database. The program will also continue support for the same set of beneficiaries under the former STAMP initiative.

“The project’s goal is to strengthen our shock-responsive social protection systems by ensuring the timely delivery of food vouchers to Filipinos in need, particularly those facing hunger and nutritional challenges in the face of increasing climate and disaster risks,” said Balisacan.

REFUEL is scheduled for implementation from July 2025 to July 2028. The program is expected to cost ₱74.6 billion, with funding support from the Manila-based multilateral lender Asian Development Bank (ADB), Agence Française de Développement (AFD), and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) Fund for International Development.

Balisacan expects REFUEL to help strengthen human capital in the long run by improving basic and functional literacy through better nutrition.

In the same meeting, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) also presented results of the 2024 Functional Literacy, Education and Mass Media Survey (FLEMMS).

Also approved during the meeting was Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System’s (MWSS) request to increase the project cost, revise the scope, and extend the timeline of the New Centennial Water Source-Kaliwa Dam project. With a revised cost of ₱15.3 billion, the dam is expected to deliver 600 million liters of raw water daily to Metro Manila as well as Cavite and Rizal provinces. As of end-2024, 24.8 percent of its physical works had been completed.

Kaliwa Dam’s previous project cost was ₱12.2 billion. It will be funded by a loan from China.

The NEDA Board likewise approved an updated list of the government’s infrastructure flagship projects (IFPs), expanding the list to 207 from the previous 186. Since 2023, eight high-impact and urgently needed projects have already been completed.

Related Tags

Food Stamp Program Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) Arsenio Balisacan NEDA Board Kaliwa Dam project Ferdinand Marcos Jr
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