PRESIDENT Marcos Jr. has approved the inclusion of solo parents and pregnant and breastfeeding mothers as additional beneficiaries of the government’s food stamp program when it is pilot tested in July this year and fully implemented next year.
The undertaking originally covered only the bottom one million households from the DSWD’s Listahanan 3 who belong to the “food poor” criteria as defined by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), and about 40 percent of families under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).
Presidential briefer Daphne Oseña-Paez said program would now cover the one million households considered as “poorest of the poor” and will now include “single parent, pregnant and lactating women to address the first 1,000 days advocacy” and to ensure the health and development of children starting from the womb until they turn two-years-old.
Paez said the President announced the inclusion of more beneficiaries and approved the dates for the pilot testing and full implementation of the food stamp program during his sectoral meeting with several Cabinet members, including Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian and Health Secretary Ted Herbosa.
“President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. approved the pilot and full implementation of the projects under this program. Aside from this, the President also tasked the DSWD, in coordination with the health department, to look into the nutritional value of the food that would be given to the program beneficiaries,” she said.
Gatchalian said that under the food stamp program, beneficiaries will receive a P3,000 monthly electronic voucher, 50 percent worth of which can be exchanged for food items rich in carbohydrate, 30 percent for protein-rich food items, and 20 percent for food items that contain healthy fats, along with other vitamins and minerals.
The food items can be exchanged in Kadiwa ng Pangulo stalls and other DSWD-accredited local retailers.
Gatchalian said the inclusion of pregnant and lactating mothers, as ordered by the President, would synchronize existing government programs, address malnutrition and stunting problems in the country, and effectively implement the First 1,000 Days Law or RA 11148.
“Ang marching order ng Pangulo, dapat malabanan natin ang stunting at ang gutom, pagsasanib-puwersa ng mga iba’t ibang programa ng gobyerno para hindi sila piece by piece ang turing sa mga programa (The marching order of the President is to make sure that the program addresses stunting and hunger, and to consolidate all government programs instead of having piecemeal programs),” he also said.
Herbosa said that based on the DOH’s National Nutrition survey data, 16.4 percent of pregnant women are nutritionally at risk, 21.6 percent of children aged between 0 to 23 months old and 28.7 percent of children under five years old are stunted, while about 20 percent of children in day-care centers need to be fed properly with correct nutrients.
He agreed with the statements of Marcos and Gatchalian that keeping pregnant and lactating mothers healthy, along with kids up to two years, which covers their first 1,000 days, is important because these years are considered as the development stage of a child.
“Brain development starts in the womb and then it continues with mandatory breastfeeding. So, if I’m feeding the mother correctly through the voucher program or the food stamp program, mommy can eat, can breastfeed her baby up to six months — and by the time the baby is more than six months, they can do oral feeding, they should also get nutrients,” Herbosa said in mixed Filipino and English.
Paez said that the food stamp program is in keeping with the Philippine Development Plan as it promotes the development of children to become productive members of society in the future.
“I just want to drive the message of the President earlier when he said that an investment in nutrition, especially in the first 1,000 days and in the feeding program, is an investment in our future because when we have children who are properly nourished, they grow up and they get to college and have the brain capacity to further their education and have better jobs, and this eventually will benefit our economy,” she said.
PILOT TESTING
Gatchalian said the six-month pilot of testing of the program will be from July to December this year and will be funded through the $3 million grants given by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the French Development Agency (FDA).
“There’s a provision to expand it. ADB is still working on another trust fund so that we can expand the pilot. But other than that, it’s all green light, go na (all systems go) for the pilot which will take place shortly,” he also said.
He said the pilot testing would determine possible nuances of the program, including areas that would need to be improved and enhanced, and what would be discontinued, among others.
He stressed that the pilot testing is necessary so the government can avoid wasteful spending and ensure the correct and smooth full implementation of the program.
The DSWD has previously identified five pilot sites that will come from different geopolitical characteristics: one in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), one former conflict area, one located in geographically isolated regions or provinces, one in urban poor settings, one in calamity-stricken areas, and one in a rural poor area.
