Marcos leads food stamp pilot

MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos will lead the pilot implementation today of the food stamp program, dubbed “Walang Gutom 2027,” in Tondo, Manila. 
 “The program aims to provide food augmentation to the bottom one million households from List 3, who belong to the poor criteria as defined by the Philippine Statistics Authority,” Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian said in a statement yesterday.

For six months, 50 indigent families in Tondo will be given access to an electronic benefit transfer (EBT) card loaded with P3,000 food credits monthly.

The program will be expanded gradually by covering 3,000 families by March next year, until it reaches the target of one million families.

“The priority beneficiaries for the pilot implementation are poorest households prone to food insecurity, as well as pregnant and lactating women and households with children two years of age and below,” Gatchalian said.

Food credits can be used to purchase food items at Kadiwa outlets and other DSWD-accredited partner retailers such as supermarkets.