THE House of Representatives is poised to pass a measure institutionalizing the Walang Gutom Program as the government’s flagship food security initiative.
The bill’s author, Albay Third District Rep. Raymond Adrian said he is optimistic that his colleagues will support House Bill 4039, or the proposed “Walang Gutom Act” he crafted.
HB 4039 creates a permanent, nationwide platform for delivering food assistance and ensuring that hunger prevention becomes an integral part of the country’s social protection systems.
The House Committee on Social Services earlier adopted Salceda’s bill.
Salceda, chair of the House Special Committee on Food Security, emphasized that the program must be institutionalize to protect it from political disputes, adding that this ensures it will not be affected by political conflicts.
In his sponsorship remarks prior to the panel’s adoption of the bill, Salceda pointed out that “the Constitution guarantees every Filipino the right to adequate food. He explained that hunger is not merely an economic problem but also a governance, moral, and constitutional issue.”
He also recounted how the Walang Gutom initiative emerged from sustained civil society advocacy that highlighted widespread malnutrition as a major barrier to learning outcomes in basic education.
He acknowledged the role of then ways and means committee chairman Albay Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda who supported the initiative and encouraged advocates to work closely with Department of Social Welfare and Development Secretary Rex Gatchalian, whose experience as Valenzuela City mayor included pioneering comprehensive school based feeding programs.
Salceda added that the program’s institutionalization is crucial because it is one of the most effective solutions he sees for addressing stunting and the country’s low scores in international and national assessments such as PISA and NAT.
Improving child nutrition, he said, is necessary for improving education performance and long term productivity.
HB 4039 establishes the following core objectives for the Walang Gutom Program:
-Ensure that no Filipino household experiences involuntary hunger due to poverty or lack of access to food.
-Modernize delivery systems through electronic benefit transfers, vouchers, and digital monitoring to improve accuracy and accountability.
-Integrate nutrition sensitive interventions that address stunting, micronutrient deficiencies, and long term human capital development.
-Strengthen linkages with farmers and fisherfolk to ensure that food assistance relies on locally produced food and supports domestic agriculture.
-Connect food assistance with livelihood and skills development through agencies such as TESDA, DOLE, and DTI so that families can eventually achieve self-sufficiency.
-Reinforce partnerships with the education sector to improve attendance and reduce child hunger, recognizing hunger as a significant education problem.
Salceda described the measure as a food security bill, an economic productivity bill, and a human dignity bill. He emphasized that food, nutrition, agriculture, livelihood, and learning must be addressed as one coherent system.
With the adoption of HB 4039, the measure will advance to the preparation of the committee report and later to plenary deliberations.
