FOOD SECURITY. A beneficiary of the Walang Gutom Program (WGP) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) gets food supplies during a redemption activity in Libon, Albay on Jan. 20, 2025. DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian on Wednesday (Sept. 3, 2025) said hunger incidence among the poorest of the poor families continues its downward trend due to the WGP. (Photo courtesy of DSWD-5)
MANILA – Since their inclusion in the Walang Gutom Program (WGP) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), 300,000 families have continued to eat better, contributing to the downward trend in hunger incidence among the poorest Filipino households.
A private sector-commissioned Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey for the WGP, conducted in March, showed that hunger prevalence among beneficiaries dropped by 7.2 percentage points, with the most notable improvement seen in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) - Plus cluster, where hunger incidence fell by 17.4 percentage points.
"We are seeing early signs of success of the Walang Gutom Program. And as instructed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., we will expand the program further to 600,000 beneficiaries in the second half of the year to make a bigger and more tangible impact of food-poor Filipino households," DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian said in a Palace briefing on Wednesday.
The latest SWS survey showed that the incidence of hunger among WGP beneficiaries in 10 regions and 22 provinces dropped by 7.2 percent from October 2024 to March 2025.
It also showed a decline in hunger prevalence for a second consecutive quarter.
In October 2024, the SWS recorded 48.7 percent in hunger prevalence among WGP beneficiaries, which dropped to 44.6 percent in December 2024, or by 4.1 percentage points.
In the second quarterly survey, the hunger incidence further dropped to 41.5 percent in March, or by 3.1 percentage points.
"We are pleased with the favorable results that clearly show the positive impact of the WGP on the food-poor beneficiaries. Consequently, we will continue to develop ways to make the program more responsive to address the food insecurity of the program's beneficiaries," Gatchalian said.
The sharpest reduction was seen in the BARMM-Plus cluster – which includes the provinces of Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Maguindanao del Norte, Maguindanao del Sur, Lanao del Sur, and Zamboanga Sibugay – where hunger incidence fell by 17.4 percentage points, from 55.1 percent to 37.7 percent.
Almost a third of the existing WGP beneficiaries are in the BARMM provinces, where the highest prevalence of hunger was also recorded.
The SWS survey, dubbed "Walang Gutom Tracker," was commissioned by private companies Globe and Monde Nissin.
It also mirrored the latest results of the regular SWS survey on involuntary hunger, which showed a 3.9 percent drop in the number of Filipino families experiencing involuntary hunger – from 20 percent in April to 16.1 percent in June.
Gatchalian noted that the SWS survey results are a concrete proof that the WGP is making a tangible difference in the lives of food-poor households.
"The program remains central to President Bongbong Marcos' priority agenda of addressing involuntary hunger, combining immediate food support with long-term empowerment initiatives," he said.
Through the WGP, each household receives PHP3,000 worth of monthly food credits via Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards, redeemable at partner retailers.
As of August, the WGP was supporting 300,000 household beneficiaries nationwide and working with 1,017 accredited retail partners, including 639 women-led enterprises.
The Walang Gutom 2027: Food Stamp Program, commonly known as the Walang Gutom Program, has been in existence for nearly two years, with its pilot phase launched in July 2023.
The program aims to free from hunger 750,000 food-poor families by 2027.
The WGP, created through Executive Order 44, also promotes social and behavioral change among food-poor families by teaching them how to prepare nutritious, delicious, and affordable meals.(PNA)
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