The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) welcomed the recent House of Representative’s approval of the consolidated version of proposals aimed at institutionalizing the agency’s Walang Gutom 2027: Food Stamp Program.

“The department would like to express our gratitude to the House committee on social services for supporting our government’s flagship program on eradicating involuntary hunger among our kababayans,” DSWD Asst. Secretary for Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG) Irene Dumlao, who is also the agency spokesperson, said on Thursday (May 16).

During the hearing last Tuesday (May 14), which was attended by DSWD Asst. Secretary for Innovations Baldr Bringas, the House Committee on Social Services gave its nod to the unnumbered substitute bill to House Bills No. 8532, 8899, 10010, and 10202, which all seek to strengthen the anti-involuntary hunger program of the government.

Asst. Secretary Bringas briefed the members of the committee, chaired by Nueva Ecija Representative Ria Vergara, on how the Food Stamp Program operates and how it helps the beneficiaries achieve food security among food-poor families.

“The DSWD views the approval of this bill as a testament to the government’s commitment to fostering food security and uplifting the lives of the most vulnerable sectors of society,” the DSWD spokesperson said.

According to Asst. Sec. Dumlao, the approval of this bill will provide security to the long-term existence of the program, as well as additional funding that will enable the DSWD to fulfill the goals of the FSP.

“These consolidated bills collectively seek to fortify the Food Stamp Program, marking a significant step towards alleviating hunger in our communities. We, in the DSWD, remain steadfast in the enactment of meaningful reforms that resonate with the principles of social justice and inclusivity,” Asst. Sec. Dumlao pointed out.

The FSP provides a holistic approach to combat involuntary hunger by providing its beneficiaries with access to monetary-based assistance and also invites them to become more productive citizens by participating in capacity building and training to improve their employable skills.

Under the program, qualified beneficiaries can use Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards with Php 3,000 worth of food credits to purchase food items through accredited retailers.

The DSWD spokesperson pointed out that the Department, as the lead implementing agency of the program, is gearing towards the scaled-up implementation of FSP to cover 300,000 beneficiaries by July.

“We call upon our social justice champions in both chambers to support the DSWD achieve the full-scale implementation of the program by approving the move to institutionalize FSP,” Asst, Sec. Dumlao said. #