DSWD: ‘Food poor’ families not included in food stamps program to be assessed

Filipino families who believe they are “food poor” but were not included in the targeted list of beneficiaries for the government’s food stamp program will be assessed for possible inclusion, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said Tuesday.

Interviewed on Unang Balita, DSWD Assistant Secretary Romel Lopez said food stamp program beneficiaries were determined through the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction, which is also used to identify potential beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).

“Kung ang ating mga kababayan, feeling nila ay supposedly dapat kasama sila rito pero bakit hindi sila nakasama, may grievance mechanism naman sa programa,” he said.

(If they feel that they should be included in the program but were not, the program has a grievance mechanism in place for that.)

“Maaari silang makipag-ugnayan sa kanilang mga Local Social Welfare Development Office para ‘yung mga LSWDO, sila ang mag-signify sa atin at mag-inform sa DSWD ng mga potential candidates natin para ma-assess natin sila for the possible inclusion,” he added.

(They can coordinate with their Local Social Welfare Development Offices, which will then signify and inform the DSWD of potential candidates so we can assess them for possible inclusion.)

DSWD is set to launch on Tuesday afternoon the pilot run of the food stamps program in Tondo, Manila where 50 households would benefit.

It will also be kicked off in targeted communities in Cagayan Valley, Bicol Region, Western Visayas, and Caraga in the next few weeks to aid at least 3,000 families.

The pilot implementation of the initiative will be conducted from July to December 2023, with the national implementation scheduled next year.

The DSWD said it intends to reach out to a million “food poor” Filipino families by 2026.

Under the program, the DSWD will provide electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards that will be loaded with food credits amounting to P3,000 per month to purchase a select list of food commodities from DSWD- registered or -accredited retailers. —KBK, GMA Integrated News