PHP 36 billion a year could end Filipino hunger, NAPC says

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

The National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) is pushing for a larger budget for the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Walang Gutom Program (WGP), saying expanded funding could help the country achieve zero hunger within two to three years while accelerating poverty reduction.

NAPC Secretary Lope Santos III said addressing hunger is the most practical strategy for reducing poverty, improving nutrition, achieving food security, and promoting sustainable agriculture.

“We should start with zero hunger. The WGP of the DSWD, my suggestion is it should be fully rolled out, and there should be an increase in its budget,” he said.

The WGP is the national government’s flagship anti-hunger program that provides food-poor households with monthly electronic food credits to buy nutritious food from accredited retailers.

Each beneficiary household receives about PHP 3,000 per month in food credits loaded on an electronic benefit transfer card, which can be used only for food purchases and cannot be withdrawn as cash.

Piloted in 2023 as the Food Stamp Program in areas of Metro Manila with high concentrations of food-poor families, the initiative was declared a flagship program of the Marcos administration through Executive Order No. 44, signed in December 2023.

A House bill seeking to institutionalize the program into law was welcomed by the DSWD in June, a move the agency said would guarantee continued support for farmers, fisherfolk, and small enterprises supplying food to beneficiaries.

Santos said the DSWD aims to assist 600,000 families this year, while Philippine Statistics Authority data show that around 700,000 households are classified as food-poor.

He said the government should expand the program to cover all food-poor families, noting that the DSWD’s long-term goal is to reach one million beneficiary households.

The program reached 600,000 household beneficiaries nationwide as of May, and currently operates on a PHP 1.9 billion allocation under the General Appropriations Act, supplemented by an Asian Development Bank loan.

Santos said providing PHP 3,000 in monthly food assistance to one million families would require about PHP 3 billion every month, or PHP 36 billion annually.

“If there is bigger funding and we totally support it, I believe we can address hunger and achieve zero hunger within the next two to three years,” he said.

Beyond reducing hunger, Santos said increased funding would stimulate local economies by creating a stable market for agricultural and fishery products.

He said the annual PHP 36 billion food budget would generate sustained demand for produce supplied by local farmers, fisherfolk, and food processors participating in the program.

“Our data show that farmers, fisherfolk, and indigenous peoples remain among the poorest sectors. It is ironic that those who produce our food are also among the hungriest and poorest. That has to change,” Santos said.

He added that government programs such as the WGP and the School-Based Feeding Program can serve as reliable markets for locally produced food while improving the incomes of food producers.

Santos also said fully devolving key national government functions to local government units (LGUs) would strengthen poverty reduction efforts.

He said many national agencies and LGUs already implement programs and services for poor communities, but coordination between them remains a challenge.

To address this, NAPC is advocating for Local Poverty Reduction Action Plans that would be developed and owned by LGUs to better integrate anti-poverty initiatives.

“I think the call of local government units for full devolution is very relevant in terms of poverty reduction because they are in the best position to deliver services directly to their communities,” Santos said.