Hunger, poverty
THE latest survey conducted by the Social Weather Station (SWS) showed that nearly half or 48 percent of Filipino families rated themselves as “poor” during the third quarter of 2023.
Everybody acknowledged that the crippling coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic worsened the problems of hunger and poverty in this nation of more than 110 million people.
Many of the country’s workers, including thousands of overseas Filipino workers throughout the globe, were displaced by the two-year pandemic, which ravaged the local economy.
Fortunately, however, President Marcos’ crusading administration has intensified its nationwide campaign against hunger and poverty, drawing cheers from various sectors of society.
In fact, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is under instruction to come up with innovative programs designed to combat the twin problems of hunger and poverty.
“The instruction is hinged on President Marcos’ desire to end hunger and make a more inclusive country, where no one is left behind,” according to DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian of Valenzuela City.
The innovative projects include the “Food Stamp Program (FSP)” and the highly-successful “Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program,” otherwise known as the “4Ps.”
The FSP aims to alleviate the lingering incidence of “food poverty” and malnutrition among members of low-income families not only in the metropolis but elsewhere.
The 4Ps, on the other hand, benefits an estimated 20 million poverty-stricken individuals across the country, receiving a monthly subsidy for their children’s education.
Without doubt, the government is doing a geat job in meeting the needs of the mushrooming population.
