Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Undersecretary Edu Punay of the Innovations and Program Development Group (IPDG) announced that the Walang Gutom Program (WGP) has reached its target of 600,000 household-beneficiaries nationwide, marking a scale-up milestone on the WGP’s second year of implementation.

“Ikinagagalak natin i-announce na meron na tayong 600,000 beneficiary households ngayon dito sa Walang Gutong Program nationwide at isa kayo sa mga kasama na bago po na beneficiaries. ‘Yan po ‘yong utos sa amin ni PBBM noong kanyang SONA. Inutusan niya ang DSWD na i-expand ‘yong programa at ngayon 600,000 na po [ang mga benepisyaryo]. Natupad na natin [ang kanyang pangako],” Undersecretary Edu Punay said on Thursday (February 12) during the ceremonial turn-over of Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards for the WGP beneficiaries in Romblon.

Held at the Romblon State University (RSU), the activity was part of the continuing rollout of the WGP in newly covered areas. During the ceremony, EBT cards were issued to 10 beneficiaries who had not yet received their cards, completing the total of 94 beneficiaries in the area.

Undersecretary Punay also conducted a walkthrough of partner merchant stalls set up at the RSU campus, inspecting the quality of food items and reviewing the point of sale (POS) system to ensure orderly and efficient transactions.

The ceremony included an actual redemption activity where beneficiaries used their issued EBT cards to purchase food packs from accredited merchants, with Undersecretary Punay assisting in card scanning and observing the transactions.

The WGP’s expansion follows the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to expand the government’s flagship food security initiative especially in areas where there is a high incidence of food-poor families.

The WGP provides Php3,000 worth of food credits per month to each beneficiary household through the EBT card, which can be used to purchase fresh and nutritious food items from accredited partner merchants.

The food assistance aims to help address hunger and food insecurity while contributing to efforts to reduce malnutrition among vulnerable families.

“Ang purpose po ng Walang Gutong (Program) ay para bigyan kayo ng assistance ng pagkain na makakatulong sa [inyo sa] araw-araw. Alam namin [na] hindi po ‘yan sapat para sa lahat ng araw-araw na pangangailangan niyo. Pero sana po malaking tulong ‘yan na mabigay sa inyo. Php3,000 (worth of) food credits per month po ang ibibigay sa inyo… Buwan-buwan po yan, walang mintis, pag nag-mintis po, sumbong niyo sa amin,” Undersecretary Punay said in his message.

WGP beneficiaries are required to attend Nutrition Education Sessions (NES) and Productivity Enhancement Sessions (PES) as a condition for continued participation in the program.

The NES are conducted using standardized program modules covering proper food handling, understanding food groups and basic nutrition, and guided by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute’s (FNRI) ‘Pinggang Pinoy’ to help families learn appropriate food portions and prepare affordable, nutritious meals using redeemed food items.

The PES aims to strengthen the capacities of beneficiaries by promoting practical skills and livelihood-related knowledge in coordination with partner agencies such as the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).

Through employment facilitation, skills training, and other capacity-building opportunities, the NES and PES help improve household resilience and support long-term food security.

“Sa pangunguna ni Secretary Rex Gatchalian, promise namin buwan-buwan mare-receive niyo itong Php3,000 food credits na ito. Buwan-buwan ‘yan hanggang matapos kayo. Tatlong taon na target po yan. Tatlong taon namin kayong bibigyan ng food credits,” Undersecretary Punay said.(KI)