DSWD’s Gatchalian eyes revival of food stamp program

Published February 02, 2023 11:02 AM By GISELLE OMBAY,GMA Integrated News

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) mulls reviving the food coupon program to scale down the hunger problem among poor Filipinos, Secretary Rex Gatchalian said Thursday.  

Gatchalian floated the idea in response to pollster Social Weather Stations (SWS) study last month showing that an estimated three million or 11.8% of Filipino families experienced involuntary hunger—being hungry and not having anything to eat—at least once in the past three months.

“It doesn’t seem ... we’re denting [hunger]. Meaning, there’s 11% of Filipino families that are hungry. Poverty is intergenerational, you cannot solve that overnight, but a poor family's immediate need niyan, mapakain mo agad ang kumakalam na sikmura [their immediate need is to have something to eat]," he said in an ANC interview.

“I want to bring it back ... the food coupons, or food stamps,” he added.

Gatchalian said he is discussing with DSWD's undersecretaries the possibility of reviving the food stamp program. He said they may tap the private sector to achieve this goal .

“I may not be able to pull people out of poverty immediately, but I can solve their immediate need of trying to put food on the table,” he said, emphasizing that he wants to be known as a  responsive secretary who also comes up with development programs. 

Further, Gatchalian -- recently appointed DSWD chief -- said he will start digitizing the agency's social welfare distribution by streamlining its processes first. 

He pointed out that his predecessor, former DSWD secretary Erwin Tulfo, had initiated the digitization process. 

“Digitalization is the end-goal, but streamlining should [precede it] ,” he said. 

Gatchalian earlier said he will prioritize the fixing of the DSWD's list of beneficiaries.—LBG, GMA Integrated News

 

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