(INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / MARIANNE BERMUDEZ)
MANILA, Philippines 鈥� President Ferdinand 鈥淏ongbong鈥� R. Marcos Jr. on Tuesday tasked the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) to monitor the progress of the 鈥淲alang Gutom 2027: Food Provision through Strategic Transfer and Alternative Measures Program (Food Stamp)鈥� program.
It is one of the Department of Social Welfare and Development鈥檚 flagship programs aimed at reducing the incidence of involuntary hunger among low-income households and make them productive citizens of the country.
In a Facebook post, Marcos cited PSA鈥檚 2023 poverty statistics, showing that the number of food-poor families went down from 1 million in 2021 to around 700,000 in 2023.
鈥淲ith 182,771 families now receiving monthly food credits, I鈥檝e asked the agency to closely monitor and report the Walang Gutom Food Stamp program鈥檚 impact. That way, we can keep on improving to reach our goal of supporting one million households by 2027,鈥� Marcos said.
鈥淲e鈥檙e on a determined path to ensuring that no Filipino goes hungry,鈥� he added.
In October 2023, Malaca帽ang issued an executive order declaring the 鈥淲alang Gutom 2027: Food Stamp Program鈥� as a flagship program of the national government.
Executive Order (EO) No. 44, signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin on October 12, established the food stamp program as a major government initiative.
To ensure the successful implementation of the program, the DSWD was tasked to identify eligible beneficiaries and cooperate with relevant stakeholders to assure efficient and timely distribution and use of food stamps.