The Department of Social Welfare and Development on Thursday, Jan. 15 welcomed the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showing a drop in hunger incidence, saying the results provide useful insight for improving government food assistance programs.

The SWS survey, conducted from Nov. 24 to 30, 2025, showed that 20.1 percent of Filipino families experienced involuntary hunger at least once in the past three months, down from 22 percent recorded in the third quarter of the same year.

“The Department welcomes the results and sees it as a positive reinforcement of the work we do. A decrease in hunger rate, no matter how small it is, is a big win for all of us. It shows that there is already improvement in the situation of Filipino families suffering from hunger,” DSWD Assistant Secretary and spokesperson Irene Dumlao said.

The nationwide survey covered 1,200 adult respondents.

Of the 20.1 percent hunger rate, 15.6 percent said they experienced hunger “only once” or “a few times,” classified as “moderate hunger,” while 4.5 percent experienced hunger “often” or “always,” classified as “severe hunger.”

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The DSWD said it continues to implement food assistance initiatives, including the “Walang Gutom Program,” with the department targeting to expand the program’s coverage to 300,000 beneficiaries this year.

Under the Walang Gutom Program, beneficiaries receive monthly food credits worth ₱3,000 through Electronic Benefit Transfer cards, which can be used to purchase nutritious food from DSWD-accredited stores.

The program also includes nutrition education and job skills training components.

The DSWD said validation of beneficiaries is ongoing based on the list of food-poor households identified through the Community-Based Monitoring System of the Philippine Statistics Authority.

“We recognize the results of surveys like that of SWS and use it to further improve our public service delivery. Mahalaga madinig ang feedback ng publiko ukol sa mga programa natin (It is important for us to hear public feedback on our programs),” Dumlao said.

The DSWD is also looking to expand the “Walang Gutom Kitchen,” which provides hot meals to individuals with limited or no access to food, particularly those living on the streets.

“This year, ang gusto po ni Secretary Rex Gatchalian ay mas mapadami pa ang ating mga Walang Gutom Kitchen, kaya naman as of now nakikipag-ugnayan pa ang DSWD sa iba’t-ibang partner organizations para sa maidala natin ang ganitong serbisyo sa iba pang mga rehiyon at siyudad (This year, Secretary Rex Gatchalian wants to increase the number of Walang Gutom Kitchens, and the DSWD is currently coordinating with various partner organizations to bring this service to more regions and cities),” Dumlao said.