ADDRESSING HUNGER. Department of Social Welfare and Development-Bicol conducts registration and validation of beneficiaries of the food stamp program in this undated photo. A total of 195 families in Garchitorena, Camarines Sur are beneficiaries of the hunger-eradication scheme. (Photo courtesy of DSWD-Bicol)
LEGAZPI CITY – A total of 195 families in the province of Camarines Sur were included as beneficiaries in the pilot implementation of the Food Stamp Program (FSP) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development in Bicol (DSWD).
Sheryl Lofamia, DSWD-Bicol Food Stamp Program coordinator, said the families from Garchitorena town will receive an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card worth PHP3,000 that they can spend on DSWD-accredited local retailers.
"They will start to receive by next month (February) and their EBT will have a total of PHP6,000 load since it is for two months. They will receive PHP3,000 per month until June. To ensure that families can eat a variety of healthy foods, the only food that can be purchased are from the three food groups consisting of 50 percent carbohydrates (Go food group), 30 percent protein (Grow) and 20 percent fiber (Glow)," she said in an interview on Monday.
Lofamia said the Bicol Region is among the five pilot areas for the program.
The other beneficiaries are from Tondo, Manila, where the “Walang Gutom 2027: Food Stamp Program” was launched in October 2023; Dapa, Siargao; San Mariano, Isabela; and Parang, Maguindanao, Lofamia said.
The Food Stamp Program is a flagship program of the DSWD that aims to decrease the incidence of involuntary hunger by improving the availability and accessibility of nutritious food for less fortunate households while helping address nutritional concerns. (PNA)
