As the Walang Gutom Program’s (WGP) currently-enrolled 300,000 food-poor households are no longer experiencing extreme hunger, what’s next for them?
Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian said on Tuesday (June 3) that the positive outcome in the WGP’s goal in curbing hunger in the country should contribute to the long-term goal of encouraging increased economic productivity among the beneficiaries of the Walang Gutom Program.
“Alinsunod sa utos ng ating Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., itong mga social welfare na intervention, temporary lang para maitawid lang sila. In the case of the Walang Gutom Program, importante sa amin na habang nakakakain na nang maayos yung mga benepisyaryo, dapat sumama na rin sila sa productive workforce para makapagtrabaho sila at pag may karagdagang income na or stable income na sa pamilya, pwede nang mag-exit,” Secretary Gatchalian said in a media briefing hosted by the Presidential Communications Office (PCO).
Families who have sufficient and nutritious food on the table will have the capacity and the physical strength to engage in livelihood and economic activities, according to the DSWD chief.
Secretary Gatchalian said the WGP implementation employs a-whole-of-government approach, where beneficiaries are linked up to the programs and services of Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).
“Alam natin kulang sa skills ang iba nating benepisyaryo. Gusto man nila magtrabaho, wala silang angkop ng mga kakayahan or kaalaman. So pumapasok ang TESDA to give them the skills na kailangan nila. I-enroll namin sila,” Secretary Gatchalian told members of the Malacanang Press Corps (MPC).
The DSWD chief said the agency also partners with DOLE to organize job fairs where beneficiaries can actively join and explore employment opportunities.
“Pangalawa, may mga job fair na idadaos ang DOLE para sa mga beneficiaries natin. Purely for our beneficiaries, para ma-match ‘yung type ng companies na pupunta sa job fair para masigurado natin na angkop naman doon sa mga kakayanan at kapasidad ng ating mga beneficiaries. So it’s a whole package—kumbaga ang importante dito may nakakain, may trabaho,” Secretary Gatchalian pointed out.
The DSWD chief said he is upbeat that these partnerships will flourish and help beneficiaries rise above poverty, particularly now that the WGP has seen a notable decline in hunger incidence among the 300,000 families currently enrolled in the program.
Commissioned by Globe Telecom, the Social Weather Station (SWS) survey showed that among WGP program beneficiaries, the share of households experiencing ‘moderate’ hunger dropped by 4.1 percentage points —from 48.7 percent in October 2024 to 44.6 percent in December of the same year.
These findings will be a crucial reference as the WGP embarks on its gradual scaling up, Secretary Gatchalian said.
“That’s why sa instruction ng ating Pangulo, dapat sa mabilis na panahon, palawakin ang programa. Kase nakita na natin doon sa first 300,000 na yung intervention works. So ngayon kapag pinalawak pa natin yung programa some more, at maabot natin ang 750,000, alam natin it will also also works lalong-lalo na sa food for families,” the DSWD chief told the PCO press briefing.
Under the WGP scaling-up approach, the program is expected to reach a total of 600,000 beneficiaries by 2025, and serve the target of 750,000 food-poor households by 2027. (LSJ)