PH hunger drops among food-poor due to food aid program

The electronic transfer card issued to the “Walang Gutom” program beneficiaries is loaded with a monthly food stipend of P3,000 and can be used at government-run Kadiwa outlets or partner stores designated by the Department of Social Welfare and Development.— MARIANNE BERMUDEZ

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Tuesday reported a decline in hunger incidence among the food-poor, attributing the improvement to its Food Stamp Program, also known as the “Walang Gutom” program.

READ: ‘Walang Gutom’: 300,000 more families getting food stamps

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Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian made the announcement, citing survey results from the Social Weather Stations (SWS), with whom the DSWD partnered, alongside Globe Telecommunications, to address food insecurity in the country.

“The first 300,000 members of this program are now able to eat properly, and the incidence of hunger among the food-poor is gradually decreasing,” Gatchalian said at a Palace press conference.

“So once again, we are pleased with the DSWD because the hunger incidence is gradually decreasing,” he added.

According to two surveys conducted by the SWS—from October 7 to 18, 2024, and December 1 to 10, 2024—the percentage of households experiencing hunger dropped by 4.1 points, from 48.7 percent to 44.6 percent.

SWS Vice President Jay Sandoval said the surveys were conducted in 33 provinces nationwide, with 2,011 respondents in October and 1,980 in December.

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“It decreased by 4.1 percent, proving that the ‘Walang Gutom’ program helped reduce their experience of hunger,” Sandoval said.

Gatchalian said current data confirms the effectiveness of the Food Stamp Program in reducing hunger, suggesting that expanding it to 750,000 beneficiaries could yield even greater results.

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Asked what the government envisions once the program ends, Gatchalian responded: “Well, for food-poor families, our goal is to eliminate hunger—that is the vision of our President, the very instruction of the President, and the DSWD will strive to achieve this every day.”/mcm

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