President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian will spearhead the initial rollout of the WALANG GUTOM 2027: Food Stamp Program (FSP) in Caraga Region on Friday (September 29).

Aside from the FSP launch, President Marcos will also lead the distribution of premium quality Jasmine rice to more than 4,000 beneficiaries in Dinagat Island, Surigao City, and Dapa, Surigao del Norte.

“Similar with the beneficiaries from Tondo, the new batch of beneficiaries from Caraga will be able to use their Electronic Benefit Cards to purchase a combination of nutritious food items from DSWD-accredited partner merchants such as the Kadiwa ng Pangulo stalls,” Assistant Secretary Romel Lopez said.

For the duration of the pilot implementation, the beneficiaries of the program will receive food credits worth P3,000 per month for six months.

In order to be able to regularly receive their monthly food credits, the beneficiaries are expected to participate in nutrition education sessions, attend skills training from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), and join the job fairs organized by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

The FSP is one of the fully digitized program of the DSWD currently being implemented in partnership with the World Food Program (WFP) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB). #