The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. announced that the government is making significant progress in reducing food poverty, as the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) reported a substantial drop in food-poor families.
“We are doing a better job of feeding people who need it,” Marcos stated during a sectoral meeting at Malacañang.
According to the DSWD, the number of food-poor families fell by 300,000 over the past year—from one million to 700,000—thanks to the implementation of the Food Stamp Program (FSP).
DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian shared that the original FSP design aimed to support one million food-poor households, but the reduction has created new opportunities within the program.
The Philippine Statistics Authority’s (PSA) data from 2023 supports these findings, showing
a decrease in food-poor families from one million in 2021 to 700,000 in 2023.
Launched under Executive Order No. 44, s. 2023, the FSP is a national initiative led by the DSWD to reduce involuntary hunger among low-income families.
The pilot phase, which ran from December 2023 to July 2024, included 2,366 households and provided eligible families with P3,000 in monthly food credits through Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards, redeemable at KADIWA stalls and authorized retail stores.
As of October 16, 2024, the FSP has verified 182,771 beneficiaries, of whom 89,772 have redeemed food through the program. Plans for expansion include adding 300,000 households in 2025 and another 400,000 in 2026 across 10 regions and 22 provinces, with the ultimate goal of reaching one million food-poor households by 2027.