Marcos: Government doing good in addressing hunger

MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos yesterday ordered agencies to closely monitor the impact of the government’s food stamp program after the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) reported an improvement in the country’s hunger figures.

During a sectoral meeting at Malacañang, the DSWD reported that the number of food-poor families dropped to 700,000 last year from one million in 2021.

“We are doing a better job of feeding people who need it,” Marcos said in a Facebook post.

The figure was based on the Philippine Statistics Authority’s data.

“With 182,771 families now receiving monthly food credits, I have asked the DSWD to monitor and report the ‘Walang Gutom’ food stamp program’s impact,” Marcos said.

“That way, we can keep on improving to reach our goal of supporting one million households by 2027. We are on a determined path to ensuring that no Filipino goes hungry,” he added.

A flagship program of the government, the food stamp initiative was launched last year to address involuntary hunger among low-income households.

The pilot implementation of the program took place from December 2023 to July this year, covering 2,366 households.

As of Oct. 16, the program had benefited 182,771 households, 89,772 of which have redeemed food.

The government is planning to expand the program to include 300,000 households next year and another 400,000 in 2026 in 10 regions and 22 provinces.