THE Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is committed to continue seeking solutions, implementing innovative strategies, and strengthening its collaboration with other government agencies to address hunger in the country.
DSWD Assistant Secretary and spokesman Romel Lopez issued the statement following the Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey results showing that involuntary hunger incidence in the country rose to 12.6 percent in December 2023 from 9.8 percent in September 2023.
“This is why we continue to implement innovative programs to address hunger among our citizens. The survey result does not stop us from our work, albeit we are more determined to seek solutions and strengthen our collaboration through the whole of government approach. Addressing hunger is a multi-agency task,” Lopez said.
He welcomed the drop in hunger incidence in Metro Manila at 12.7 percent from 17. 3 percent, saying it validated the effectiveness of the department’s Food Stamp Program (FSP).
He said the FSP is currently being pilot-tested in Tondo, Manila with 1,216 beneficiaries.
The FSP aims to provide food augmentation to the bottom 1 million households from Listahanan 3, who belong to the food poor criteria as defined by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
It provides the family beneficiaries with P3,000 worth of nutritious food monthly. The P3,000 is loaded to an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card that can only be used to purchase nutritious food items from accredited stores.
The FSP pilot implementation has been expanded to include four other areas, namely, San Mariano in Isabela, Siargao Island, Garchitorena in Camarines Sur, and Parang in Maguindanao which currently benefits 3,000 families.
The DSWD aims to expand the coverage to 300,000 families this year once the pilot implementation ends mid-2024.
“DSWD hopes that through the Food Stamp Program, the country will be able to combat hunger and achieve food security towards the realization of a zero hunger Philippines,” Lopez said.
On October 12, 2023, Malacanang issued Executive Order (EO) No. 44 that established the WALANG GUTOM 2027: Food Stamp Program as a flagship program of the Marcos administration.
DSWD Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao welcomed the institutionalization and expansion of the agency’s Oplan Pag-Abot which aims to reach out to families, children, and individuals in street situations and provide them with the necessary interventions.
Dumlao said that during the pilot implementation of the Oplan Pag-Abot in the National Capital Region, more than 1,700 families and individuals who had been living on the streets have been assisted by the DSWD through its various programs such as the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation and Balik Probinsya Program, among others.
Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, on the authority of the President, signed on January 18 Executive Order No. 52 that provides for the creation of an Inter-Agency Committee (IAC) for Oplan Pag-Abot which aims to further enhance and unify the delivery of services to vulnerable and disadvantaged sectors in street situations through the provision of social safety nets.
The IAC is chaired by the DSWD Secretary with the Secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) as the vice chairman, and the secretaries of agriculture, labor, health, budget, and education departments as members.
The other members of the committee are the director general of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA); the chairman of the Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor (PCUP); the president and chief executive officer of the Small Business Corp.; and the administrator of the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA).
