The Social Weather Stations (SWS) study that noted a sharp decline in hunger incidence among Walang Gutom Program (WGP) beneficiaries is an affirmation of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s commitment to end hunger in the Philippines, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian said on Friday (May 30).
“Ngayon nga na alam natin na yung Walang Gutom Program ay nakakatulong na bawasan ang kagutuman, mas sisikapin pa natin na palawakin ito at maging tulay for us to end hunger tulad ng vision at instructions ng ating Pangulo,” Secretary Gatchalian said in the press conference on the SWS survey held in Tondo, City of Manila.
Commissioned by Globe and the DSWD, the SWS survey was conducted on October 7 to 18, 2024 and on December 1 to 10, 2024 with a total of 3,991 respondents from 33 provinces across the country.
The SWS reported that WGP households experiencing hunger dropped by 4.1 percentage points—from 48.7% in October 2024 to 44.6% in December.
In contrast, non-beneficiaries who have experienced hunger went up by 6.1 points.
The DSWD chief noted that the difference in beneficiaries’ and non-beneficiaries’ standing indicates that the WGP is making significant progress and on the ’right track’ in tackling the issue of hunger in the country.
This will serve as a much-needed baseline in the scaling up of the program, as emphasized by Secretary Gatchalian.
“Ngayon na alam na natin na effective itong Walang Gutom Program, palalakihin na natin siya hanggang sa masakop na natin lahat ng food poor at mawala ang kagutuman sa bansa natin,” the DSWD chief pointed out.
Launched in 2023 and institutionalized in 2024, the Walang Gutom Program aims to bring down the incidence of involuntary hunger experienced by Filipinos from low-income households.
The WGP employs a gradual scaling-up approach. From the initial enlisting of 3,000 beneficiaries in its pilot implementation last 2023, it went up to 300,000 by the end of December 2024.
For 2025, beneficiaries are expected to soar to a total of 600K, until the goal of serving 750,000 food-poor households is reached.
The DSWD chief expressed optimism that the WGP will further elevate the condition of the country’s most vulnerable.
“So, ang layunin nga natin is habang binibigyan natin sila ng tulong, ng food credits para makabili ng pagkain at hindi na sila magutom at pwede na isa or dalawa sa pamilya maging bahagi ng workforce natin, maging productive citizens. Bahagi yun ng design natin,” Secretary Gatchalian said.
The gains of the program also benefit Filipinos engaged in small food business, the DSWD chief added.
“We have close to 900 retailers sa mga lugar na meron tayong benepisyaryo at karamihan diyan maliliit na agri coops or vendors sa mga lugar nila so nakakatulong din tayo sa local economy sa lugar. Habang lumalaki ang bilang ng programa, sabay silang lalaki,” Secretary Gatchalian pointed out.
Co-organized by the SWS, Globe and DSWD, the press conference also included Globe Telecom Senior Director and Public Relations & Communications Strategy Head Chito Maniago, Social Weather Stations Vice-President Jay Sandoval, and Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) Senior Research fellow Roehl Briones.
The DSWD officials who joined Secretary Gatchalian in the press conference were Undersecretary Edu Punay and Assistant Secretary Baldr Bringas of the Innovations Program and Development (IPDG) and Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao, the agency’s spokesperson. (LSJ)