An official of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said on Monday (April 14) the National Government is still on track in its goal of attaining single-digit poverty incidence by 2028 based on the Family Income and Expenditure Survey (FIES) results of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) that showed poverty incidence dropping to 15.5 percent or 17.54 million people in 2023.

DSWD spokesperson Irene Dumlao said the Department recognizes the latest SWS survey results which was based on the perception of Filipino families and will use it as reference in the continuing commitment of the agency to innovate and further improve programs and services.

“We recognize na may magkakaibang concepts implemented through questionnaires, or the way questions were asked. PSA uses scientific indicators like annual family income and expenditures, while SWS asks for individual perception, for a short period usually a quarter,” Asst. Secretary Dumlao said in response to the latest SWS survey

The latest SWS survey for the period March 15-30 showed an estimated 14.4 million equivalent to 52 percent of Filipino families rated themselves as poor, while 27.2 percent said they experienced involuntary hunger in the period of three months.

“We believe that the latest SWS results is an affirmation of the work that the Department is doing as we focus on intensifying our programs to respond to the needs of the Filipino public. Ang DSWD ay committed na magcontribute para makamit natin yung goal ni President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr para sa single-digit poverty incidence by 2028,” Asst. Secretary Dumlao told reporters at the press briefing by the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) in Malacanang.

The DSWD spokesperson stressed that poverty and hunger are social issues had always plagued the country and this is the driving force behind the Department’s continuous enhancement of programs under the leadership of Secretary Rex Gatchalian.

“The DSWD is deeply committed to contributing to the goal of President Ferdinand R Marcos Jr’s administration in reducing the poverty incidence to a single digit by 2028.” Asst. Secretary Dumlao told the members of the Malacanang Press Corps (MPC).

Asst. Secretary Dumlao said the DSWD vows to continue innovating and enhancing programs to keep track with the Government’s poverty alleviation and anti-hunger goals amid the latest SWS survey results.

With the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) as the country’s national poverty alleviation program, national government agencies worked together to conduct nationwide job fairs for the graduating families of the program as instructed by the President, according to Asst. Secretary Dumlao.

The DSWD spokesperson said the job fair is just one of the interventions being implemented by various government agencies with the aim of helping families exiting from the 4Ps program to sustain their self-sufficiency by giving them access to employment opportunities.

“DSWD has also recognized that hunger must be aggressively addressed, which is why we continue to ramp up and innovate our anti-hunger programs as we continue implementing the Walang Gutom Program (WGP), formerly our Food Stamp Program. We also recently launched our Walang Gutom Kitchen, to address the country’s involuntary hunger,” the DSWD spokesperson said.

The Walang Gutom Kitchen (WGK) in Pasay City is an innovative program which also reduces food wastage as donated surplus food from hotels, restaurants, and organizations are turned into hot meals for individuals experiencing hunger. (GDVF)