Marcos orders closer monitoring of food stamp anti-hunger program

(INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / MARIANNE BERMUDEZ)

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. on Tuesday tasked the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) to monitor the progress of the “Walang Gutom 2027: Food Provision through Strategic Transfer and Alternative Measures Program (Food Stamp)” program.

It is one of the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s 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’s 2023 poverty statistics, showing that the number of food-poor families went down from 1 million in 2021 to around 700,000 in 2023.

“With 182,771 families now receiving monthly food credits, I’ve asked the agency to closely monitor and report the Walang Gutom Food Stamp program’s impact. That way, we can keep on improving to reach our goal of supporting one million households by 2027,” Marcos said.

“We’re on a determined path to ensuring that no Filipino goes hungry,” he added.

In October 2023, Malacañang issued an executive order declaring the “Walang Gutom 2027: Food Stamp Program” 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.