The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), as the lead agency of the Enhanced Partnership Against Hunger and Poverty (EPAHP), convened partner-agencies for the Program Convergence Budgeting–Zero Hunger (PCB-ZH) Workshop for Fiscal Year 2026 at the Madison 101 Hotel Tower in Quezon City on March 20 to 21.
Aligned with the National Budget Call for Fiscal Year 2026, as outlined in National Budget Memorandum No. 153 issued by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), the workshop aimed to strengthen collaboration within different agencies in advancing the government’s goal of zero-hunger by ensuring alignment with national priorities and yield concrete results in reducing food insecurity.
The workshop featured strategic planning, proposal presentations, and an open forum, providing stakeholders to share insights and address concerns.
Some of the proposals presented were: School-Based Feeding Program (SBFP) of the Department of Education (DepEd); Nutrition in Emergencies (NIE) of the Department of Health (DOH); Zero-Hunger Extension Interventions for Poverty-Stricken Urban Stakeholders (ZH-EXPURBAN) of the Department of Agriculture – Agricultural Training Institute (DA-ATI), and National Government Portal (NGP) Project of the Department of Information and Technology (DICT).
DSWD project proposals were Redesigning of the Bangsamoro Umpungan sa Nutrisyon (BANGUN) Program Into the Kalipunan ng Tribong Pilipino para sa Nutrisyon Program (Katribu sa Nutrisyon Program) and Implementation of the Expansion Plan (Phase 1) to the Rest of Mindanao Island of the BANGUN Program; Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) Target Informal Settler Families (ISFs) affected by the National Railways Project of the SLP; and 60-Day Extension of DSWD Supplementary Feeding Program in Child Development Centers (CDCs) and Supervised Neighborhood Play (SNP) of the Program Management Bureau (PMB) were also presented.
The anti-hunger and poverty project proposals of other agencies such as the National Nutrition Council (NNC); Department of Interior and Local Governance (DILG); National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA; National Irrigation Administration (NIA); Cooperative Development Authority (CDA); and the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) were also presented.
Also attending the two-day workshop were representatives from the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR); Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP); Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE); Department of Science and Technology (DOST); Land Bank of the Philippines; Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC); Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA); and the World Food Program (WFP). (YADP)