DSWD to Implement Pilot Testing of Food Stamp Program
Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian announced that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has given the go-signal to pilot test a food stamp program for underprivileged families including pregnant moms, lactating moms, and single parents.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. gave the go signal to implement and test the Food Stamp Program under the Department of Social and Welfare Development. Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian announced it last June 13 during a forum with reporters.
“It’s all green lights. Go na for the pilot which will take place shortly,” Gatchalian said.
Gatchalian shared that the program will include single parents, pregnant moms, and lactating mothers on the list of program beneficiaries. The president himself requested to include them.
“The President also wants to bring in pregnant, lactating mothers. Kasi we have to start looking at stunting in this country. And the first 1,000 days program is very important,” Gatchalian said.
What is the Food Stamp Program
The Food Stamp Program aims to provide assistance through the form of digital food stamps worth PHP 3,000 food credits for the underprivileged sector.
The program was designed as a way to address the involuntary hunger many Filipinos continue to experience.
“Ang marching order ng Pangulo dapat malabanan natin ang stunting at ang kagutuman, pagsanib-pwersa ng mga iba’t ibang programa ng gobyerno. Para hindi sila piece by piece ang turing sa mga programa. (The marching order of the President is we fight stunting and hunger. Through the collaborative efforts among government agencies),” Gatchalian said.
The pilot testing will start sometime in July. The DSWD will be working with the Department of Agriculture, Department of Health, and Food and Nutrition Research Institute for the implementation.
Why this program is important
Back in May, President Marcos met with the Asian Development Bank. Moreover, the Food Stamp Program is a government program in partnership with ADB.
“One of the things that is in the pipeline, that is being developed, that is going to be of great assistance to our people is a proposal by the DSWD for a food stamp program. Which I’m surprised that we have never had. But it is something that we can see that has been effective in other countries,” Marcos said in May.
The Food Stamp Program is also a mitigation that the DSWD floated following a survey released by the Social Weather Station (SWS). Three million Filipinos answered that they continue to experience hunger.
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