Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian is pleased with the approval of the Reducing Food Insecurity and Undernutrition with Electronic Vouchers (REFUEL) Project by the National Economic and Development Authority – Investment Coordination Committee Cabinet Committee (NEDA ICC-CabCom), which will support the scale up of the Walang Gutom Program, formerly the agency’s Food Stamp Program, for 2025-2028.

The REFUEL Project is under the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and will be co-financed by Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) Fund for International Development.

The approval was made during a meeting on Tuesday (April 15) at the NEDA office which was also attended by Undersecretary Edu Punay of the DSWD’s Innovations and Program Development Group (IPDG) and IPDG Assistant Secretary Baldr Bringas.

Launched in 2023 and was institutionalized through Executive Order No. 44, the Walang Gutom Program provides food-poor families with electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards loaded with Php3,000 in monthly food credits.

These can be used to purchase nutritious food items from accredited retailers, ensuring that vulnerable households have access to adequate and healthy meals.