The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) currently has 879 partner-retailers nationwide that offer affordable and nutritious food items to beneficiaries of the agency’s Walang Gutom Program (WGP), formerly known as the Food Stamp Program.
DSWD assistant secretary Irene Dumlao said on Thursday that 530 partner-retailers are women-led and owned enterprises, highlighting the DSWD’s commitment to women empowerment and economic inclusion.
“As the nation celebrates National Women’s Month this March, we extend our gratitude to all these women-led enterprises. Their participation in the Walang Gutom Program helps ensure that families have access to nutritious food while also promoting women’s leadership in business,” said Dumlao, who is also DSWD spokesperson.
Women-owned and -led enterprises are cooperatives with at least 50 percent female board members.
“By partnering with women-owned businesses, we are not only addressing hunger but also empowering women and broadening their part in nation building,” Dumlao noted.
She also underscored the importance of partnerships in making the program more accessible to the beneficiaries.
“Through the support of our 879 partner-retailers, we can ensure that families under the Walang Gutom Program have access to healthy and affordable food options. This collaboration is crucial in contributing to the Marcos administration’s goal of addressing involuntary hunger and improving nutrition among vulnerable sectors,” Dumlao said.
Among the responsibilities of the partner-retailers is to provide high-quality, safe, and affordable food and non-food items to the intended beneficiaries and ensure that all products are delivered to beneficiaries on time, according to the scheduled distribution plans, and in compliance with the logistical framework established by the DSWD’s Walang Gutom Program.
Partner-retailers also agreed to ensure that only items included in the approved food baskets prescribed by the WGP will be offered to beneficiaries.
Under the WGP, Php3,000 food credits loaded into the electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards are granted to the beneficiaries.
Food credits can be used to buy high-nutrition food items—50 percent for carbohydrates, 30 percent for protein, and 20 percent for fiber-rich foods.
The DSWD’s WGP, created through Executive Order 44, is the national government’s anti-hunger and poverty reduction program aimed at decreasing the incidence of involuntary hunger experienced by Filipinos from low-income households.
The WGP aims to feed 750,000 food poor families by 2027.