While addressing involuntary hunger among low-income households, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s vision of a hunger-free Philippines would expand to developing healthy eating habits for the poor and further boosting the grassroots-level economy.
Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian on Tuesday said that ongoing efforts to strengthen the Walang Gutom Program (WGP) include requiring beneficiaries to attend nutrition development sessions where they are taught how to eat and prepare healthier food.
“Turuan natin ang ating mga kababayan na, ano ba ang ibig sabihin ng iba’t-ibang klaseng food groups? Kasi alam natin tayong mga Pinoy, dun tayo sa matamis at maalat all the time. Pero tinuturuan natin sila, ano ang healthy eating… Culture upchange yan, behavioral change, so nag-iinvest tayo diyan,” Gatchalian noted.
“Part ng kondisyon ng programa na ito ay umattend sila ng nutrition development sessions. Para maturuan sila na kumain nang tama, maghanda ng tamang pagkain,” he added.
Created to realize the President’s vision, the Walang Gutom Program aims to reduce the incidence of involuntary hunger experienced by low-income households and help them become productive citizens of the country.
Under the program, beneficiaries receive monetary assistance in the form of an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card, amounting to PhP3,000 per month, to purchase a select list of food commodities from accredited stores.
Gatchalian said the nutrition development aspect is an addition to the earlier condition for WGP beneficiaries to learn skills that they can use to make a living by themselves.
The DSWD Secretary also announced ongoing efforts to integrate President Marcos’ Benteng Bigas Meron Na Program into the WGP.
With the integration, WGP beneficiaries will be able to purchase rice at PHP20 per kilo from accredited small agricultural cooperatives, as well as micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
“Iyan iyong isa pang benepisyo nitong programa na ito. Matutulungan iyong local economy kasi doon rin bumibili iyong mga food poor natin na mga benepisyaryo (ng WGP),” Gatchalian said. | PND
