ILOILO City – To alleviate hunger among Western Visayas’ food-poor residents, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has launched the “Walang Gutom: Food Stamp Program” targeting over 43,021 households across the region.
On Friday morning, 302 families in Negros Occidental were the first to receive Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards loaded with P3,000 worth of food credits.
Negros Occidental was prioritized due to the significant number of impoverished families, said Atty. Carmelo Nochete, DSWD Region 6 director.
Each qualifying family received a monthly stipend of P3,000 loaded onto an EBT card, intended for the purchase of nutritionally-balanced food items such as vegetables, protein, and fruits.
“The food purchased with these funds must meet specific nutritional guidelines,” Nochete stressed.
The program was officially launched at the gymnasium of EB Magalona town, with DSWD Region 6 assistant regional director for operations, Arwin Razo, overseeing the distribution.
The initiative disbursed a total of P906,000 in food credits to assist food-poor families in the province.
Of the initial batch of beneficiaries, 111 families were from Victorias City, while the remaining 191 were from EB Magalona.
The beneficiaries were given the opportunity to redeem their food packages immediately at local DSWD-accredited grocery stores, including Kadiwa stores.
The Food Stamp Program, endorsed by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos under Executive Order No. 44, aims to combat involuntary hunger and improve food security among low-income Filipino households.
According to Atty. May Rago-Castillo, information officer of DSWD-6, it provides them with an EBT card to purchase a variety of eligible food items, including fruits, vegetables, grains, and meats.
Hot foods, vitamins, and non-food items, however, are not covered.
Under the program’s guidelines, the P3,000 monthly credit is allocated as follows: 50% for carbohydrates, 30% for protein, and 20% for fats, oils, and dietary fibers.
The cards are only valid at participating DSWD-accredited retailers.
To ensure that the recipients are qualified “food poor” families, DSWD-6 has hired validators, said Rago.
“This is a continuing program targeting food-poor households whose income is insufficient to purchase adequate food. We may scale-up the program to other provinces in Western Visayas after one year,” said Nochete./PN
