Marcos hopeful of lower hunger rate by end 2025

President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. on Thursday expressed hope that the hunger rate would continue to decline by the end of the year, noting that his dream of achieving zero hunger is already coming to fruition. 

''Palagay ko, pagkatapos ng taon makikita natin mas mababa pa, dahan-dahan po na natutupad po ang pangarap po ng inyong Pangulo, ang pangarap ng lahat ng Pilipino na wala nang pamilyang ginugutom dito sa atin,'' Marcos said during the Kumustahan with the Walang Gutom beneficiaries. 

(I think, by the end of the year, we can see that the hunger rate will further decrease, and slowly my dream that no more Filipino families will get hungry will be achieved.)

Marcos highlighted how the program became instrumental in reducing hunger rate, saying that in March of this year, the rate was 41.5%, which was lower compared to 48.7% in October 2024.

''Dahil dito sa programa na 'to, bumaba na po ang hunger rate, ang mga gutom sa household beneficiary. Lahat po sa household beneficiary natin, bumaba na po ang gutom,'' Marcos said.

(Because of this program, the hunger rate went down among our household beneficiaries.) 

''Dati, noong Oktubre ng nakaraang taon ay 48.7% po ang sinasabing hunger rate na ginugutom pa. Dahil sa programang ito, 'yang numerong 'yan ay bumaba na po at naging 41.5% nitong Marso ng 2025,'' he added.

(In October of last year, 48.7% was the hunger rate. But because of this program, the hunger rate went down to 41.5% in March 2025.)

Under the Walang Gutom Program, beneficiaries are guided in choosing the food they will purchase. A receipt will be handed out to them after they check out at a kiosk.

The beneficiaries do not need to max out the P3,000 credit, but it's better to maximize the amount since it aims to address zero hunger.

The Department of Welfare and Social Development said beneficiaries cannot also ask for an advance credit and will have to wait for another month before the balance in the card is topped up.

The DSWD and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) also launched the Reducing Food Insecurity and Undernutrition with Electronic Vouchers (REFUEL) Project, which aims to strengthen and scale up the Walang Gutom Program (WGP).

“This partnership with the Asian Development Bank reflects President Marcos Jr. and the DSWD’s vision of a Philippines where no one goes to bed hungry. Through the REFUEL Project, we are expanding the reach and impact of the Walang Gutom Program so that more families can have access to nutritious food,” Secretary Rex Gatchalian said in a press release.
 
The project will scale up the WGP’s coverage to 750,000 households nationwide by 2026.

The project, with a total cost of P74 billion, is supported by an ADB loan to the Philippines and co-financed by the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and the OPEC Fund for International Development. —VAL, GMA Integrated News