More Filipino families are set to benefit from the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Walang Gutom Program (WGP), through the Reducing Food Insecurity and Undernutrition with Electronic Vouchers (REFUEL) Project, DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian said.
Gatchalian joined President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. in launching the REFUEL Project on Thursday (October 16) at the San Andres Sports Complex in Manila, where Gatchalian underscored the government’s continued push to ensure that no Filipino goes to bed hungry.
“It is a very important day in our mission to end hunger and malnutrition in the Philippines because today (Thursday) we will launch the project Reducing Food Insecurity and Undernutrition with Electronic Vouchers’ or the ‘REFUEL Project,” Gatchalian said in his message.
The project, implemented in partnership with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Agence Française de Développement (AFD), and the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID), aims to assist 750,000 households in 22 provinces by providing them with P3,000 monthly food credits that can be used to purchase nutritious food items from accredited stores.
Gatchalian described the initiative as a vital step toward expanding the reach of the WGP, which has already shown positive results since it began in 2023 under the President’s directive.
The DSWD chief cited the recent Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showing a significant drop in hunger among program beneficiaries.
“We are happy because according to the SWS survey this past March, hunger among our beneficiaries has decreased by 7.2 percent. From 48.7 percent in October 2024, it decreased to 44.6 percent in December 2024, and further decreased to 41.5 percent in March 2025,” Gatchalian said.
“This means that there are fewer families going to bed hungry, because more families are able to put food on their dining tables,” he added.
The DSWD chief expressed his gratitude to President Marcos and the country’s international development partners for their continued support.
The WGP, recognized as a flagship program of the Marcos administration under Executive Order No. 44, is the country’s version of the food stamp program similar to other countries.
