In line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s commitment to uplift the lives of underprivileged Filipino families, beneficiaries of the government’s “Walang Gutom Program” will be offered job fairs and skills training to help them find employment.
During a Palace press briefing, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian announced on Tuesday that the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) will organize targeted job fairs specifically for the DSWD beneficiaries who are transitioning out of the program.
“May mga job fair na idadaos ang DOLE para sa mga beneficiaries natin, purely for our beneficiaries para ma-match ‘yung type ng companies na pupunta sa job fair para masigurado natin na angkop naman doon sa mga kakayanan at kapasidad ng ating mga beneficiaries,” Gatchalian said.
The targeted job fairs follow a key milestone in the program’s implementation after a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey, commissioned by Globe in partnership with the DSWD, reported a 4.1 percentage point drop in hunger among beneficiaries, from 48.7 percent in October 2024 to 44.6 percent in December 2024.
Gatchalian confirmed that the first 300,000 beneficiaries are now receiving regular meals and no longer experiencing chronic hunger. As a next step, the government aims to empower them to join the workforce and achieve self-sufficiency.
To complement the job fairs, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) will offer skills development programs for those who need training.
“Importante ngayon na nakakain na kayo dapat samahan niyo na kami sa productive workforce para makapagtrabaho tayo,” Gatchalian said.
Launched in 2023 through Executive Order 44, the “Walang Gutom 2027: Food Stamp Program” is a key initiative of the Marcos administration aimed at reducing involuntary hunger among low-income households by providing monetary assistance to purchase food commodities.
The program is set to expand to 300,000 additional families in 2025, another 150,000 in 2026, and aims to reach one million households by 2027. | PND
