NEDA Board approves REFUEL project

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board, led by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., has approved a new program aimed at addressing food insecurity and undernutrition across the country.

In its final meeting before transitioning into the Economy and Development (ED) Council under Republic Act 12145, the NEDA Board gave the green light to the Reducing Food Insecurity and Undernutrition with Electronic Vouchers (REFUEL) Project. The same law also reconstitutes NEDA into the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev), granting it expanded authority.

Scheduled for rollout between July 2025 and July 2028, the REFUEL initiative builds upon the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Food Strategic Transfer and Alternative Measures Program (STAMP), a key component of the government’s Walang Gutom 2027 Food Stamp Program.

The program is expected to assist some 750,000 food-insecure households listed in DSWD’s Listahanan 3 database. It will be funded by an estimated PHP74.6 billion from international partners, including the Asian Development Bank, Agence Française de Développement, and the OPEC Fund for International Development.

“By approving the REFUEL project, the government demonstrates its unwavering commitment to fight food insecurity and undernutrition. The program reflects a renewed focus toward ending involuntary hunger, uplifting vulnerable communities, and promoting resilience through smart, nutrition-sensitive social protection,” NEDA Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said in a statement Thursday.

Data from the 2023 National Nutrition Survey by the Department of Science and Technology’s Food and Nutrition Research Institute shows that nearly 30% of Filipino households experience moderate to severe food insecurity, while 3% endure severe food insecurity.

“The project’s goal is to strengthen our shock-responsive social protection systems by ensuring the timely delivery of food vouchers to Filipinos in need, particularly those facing hunger and nutritional challenges in the face of increasing climate and disaster risks,” Balisacan added.