DSWD sets full-scale trial of Food Stamp Program
THE Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is set to conduct the full-scale pilot implementation of the WALANG GUTOM 2027: Food Stamp Program (FSP) by December of this year.
DSWD Undersecretary for Innovations Eduardo Punay made the announcement at the 3rd Nutrition Education Session and 4th Redemption Day of pilot beneficiaries in Tondo, Manila.
“Right now, we are doing the pilot implementation. Three thousand families sa loob ng limang pilot sites ang ating target, and we will go full blast sa pilot implementation come December,” Punay said during an interview with the media.
Punay said that with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s issuance of Executive Order (EO) No. 44, which establishes the FSP as a flagship program of the current administration, the implementation of the program will be assured of funding to help more food poor families in 2024.
“First and foremost, by declaring that it is a priority program, we are assured of funding next year so makakasama po ito sa General Appropriations Act – sa national budget next year. Secondly, and very important, is yung participation ng other agencies kasi through the EO, which is institutionalizing the program, DSWD is assured of support from other agencies,” he said.
The FSP provides food augmentation to food poor families, including pregnant and nursing mothers.
Attendance to the monthly Nutrition Education Sessions is one of the conditions for FSP beneficiaries in order for them to regularly receive their monthly food credit of P3000.
The FSP provides a holistic approach to address involuntary hunger by providing its beneficiaries with access to monetary-based assistance and also invites them to become more productive citizens since they will be required to participate in capacity building and training to improve their employable skills.
