Neda OKs e-food voucher project for 750,000 households

Marcos signs bill renaming the National Economic and Development Authority to the Department of Economy, Planning and Development. — Inquirer file photo

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has approved the electronic food stamp project that will target 750,000 “food-insecure” households.

At its meeting on Wednesday, the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) board, chaired by Mr. Marcos, approved the Reducing Food Insecurity and Undernutrition with Electronic Vouchers (Refuel) project.

It was the final meeting of the Neda board before it was reorganized into the Economic and Development Council in line with Republic Act No. 12145, which transformed Neda into a full-fledged executive agency called the Department of Economy, Planning and Development. The council will also be chaired by the President.

According to Neda, Refuel is the new version of a project previously known as the Philippine Food Strategic Transfer and Alternative Measures Program (STAMP).

Refuel is spearheaded by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and will be retained under the Walang Gutom (Zero Hunger) 2027 Food Stamp Program as one of the government’s flagship projects.

Launched in 2023 and institutionalized through Executive Order No. 44, the Walang Gutom Program, according to the DSWD website, provides food-poor families with electronic benefit transfer cards loaded with P3,000 in monthly food credits.

Same beneficiaries

The credits can be used to purchase nutritious food items from accredited retailers, ensuring that vulnerable households have access to adequate and healthy meals.

Neda said the 750,000 households that will benefit from Refuel were taken from the DSWD’s Listahanan 3 database. The project will cover the same set of beneficiaries under STAMP.

READ: NEDA says gov’t focusing on improving food security 

Refuel will be implemented from July 2025 to July 2028, following the pilot rollout of the former Philippine Food STAMP late last year.

The project is estimated to cost P74.6 billion, with funding coming from the Asian Development Bank, Agence Française de Développement, and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries Fund for International Development.

“The project’s goal is to strengthen our shock-responsive social protection systems by ensuring the timely delivery of food vouchers to Filipinos in need, particularly those facing hunger and nutritional challenges in the face of increasing climate and disaster risks,” Neda Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said.

Higher dam budget

Apart from Refuel, Neda said Mr. Marcos also approved the request of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System for an increase in the total project cost of the New Centennial Water Source—Kaliwa Dam project. The President also cleared a request for a change in the scope of the project and an extension of the loan validity and implementation period.

The approved revision brought the total project cost to P15.3 billion. The Kaliwa Dam, designed to provide an additional 600 million liters of raw water per day, is expected to serve the National Capital Region and the provinces of Rizal and Cavite.

As of December 2024, over 24.8 percent of the project has been constructed.