Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian said on Monday (August 19) there is need to revisit the composition of the food basket and its corresponding costs so that the government’s anti-hunger programs can be more responsive to the needs of food-poor families.
“Due na rebisitahin yung food basket kung tawagin… it’s been 10 years since last na na-visit yung food basket. Hindi ko pwedeng pangunahan yun kasi trabaho yan ng FNRI (Food and Nutrition Research Institute) at ng DOH (Department of Health), sila yung mga eksperto dyan. Pero kaya naming sabihin na sa sarili naming opinyon, kulang yun,” the DSWD chief told reporters during a press conference on at the DSWD Central Office’s New Press Center in Quezon City.
Secretary Gatchalian explained that once the food basket and its estimated average cost is revisited, an updated data can be generated which can be used as basis to implement programs that will better respond to the needs of food poor families. One of these programs is the Walang Gutom 2027: Food Stamp Program (FSP).
“Yung Food Stamp Program ay patunay na naniniwala kami na kailangan dagdagan natin kasi sa opinion namin at sa opinion ng ating mga case managers, mga social workers, kulang yung 21 pesos,” Secretary Gatchalian pointed out.
The FSP is a flagship priority program of the DSWD to combat involuntary hunger by providing its beneficiaries with electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards that will be loaded with food credits amounting to Php3,000 to purchase a select list of nutritious food commodities.
For the scale up implementation of the FSP, some 300,000 households will be issued EBT cards before the end of the year, another 300,000 households will be included in the program in 2025, and then 400,000 more in 2026 to be able to reach the target of 1 million household-beneficiaries.
“Baka para talagang masugpo natin ang kagutuman, dapat mas bilisan natin yung pagpapalaki ng programa so that means, more budget allocation for the Food Stamp Program,” the DSWD chief said. #