BACOLOD City – Around 943 families in Bago City, Negros Occidental were included on the list of the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Walang Gutom 2027: Food Stamp Program (FSP).
The beneficiaries started receiving their monthly stipend of P3,000 worth of food assistance last week.
Bago City Social Welfare and Development Officer Leah Pilipina Canayon, who led the launching and food redemption kickoff activity at the Manuel Y. Torres Memorial Coliseum and Cultural Center on October 11, said the three-year program covers food-poor households who were included in the 2019 Listahanan or National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction of the DSWD.
“There are actually a total of 2,392 beneficiaries in Bago City. However, only 943 were validated and given the electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards for now,” Canayon said, adding that 19 of the 21 partner retail stores have started catering to the beneficiaries on Oct. 11.
She added that the FSP is seen to help both the food-poor families and local small and medium enterprises (SMEs) serving as partner retailers.
The FSP is a flagship program of the national government by virtue of Executive Order No. 44 Series of 2023. This anti-hunger and poverty reduction program aims to decrease the incidence of involuntary hunger experienced by the low-income households.
Canayon, meanwhile, clarified that the FSP beneficiaries are those who are not covered by the DSWD’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps)./PN
