LEGAZPI CITY — The Department of Social Welfare and Development in Bicol is widening the reach of its Walang Gutom Program this year, bringing food assistance to 44,000 additional households across the region on top of nearly 30,000 families already enrolled.
Regional Director Norman Laurio says a first wave of 9,618 newly added beneficiaries has begun redeeming food credits, with the rest scheduled for rollout in batches as onboarding continues in the six Bicol provinces.
Households are identified and validated using Listahanan 3 and the Community-Based Monitoring System maintained by the Philippine Statistics Authority. Verification runs from December 2025 through early February 2026, alongside an assessment of each family’s food security needs using the Walang Gutom Indicator tool.
After regional screening, the DSWD central office determines which validated households fall within the country’s bottom one million food-poor families, clearing them for inclusion in the program.
Laurio notes that redemptions are staggered and not strictly monthly, citing factors such as funding disbursement timelines and disruptions caused by natural disasters that can affect food supply and delivery.
The program emphasizes access to nutritious food, encouraging families to gradually adopt healthier eating habits while ensuring they have enough to meet daily needs. Existing beneficiaries are funded under the 2026 General Appropriations Act, while newly enrolled households are supported through the REFUEL project.
Under the scheme, each household receives P3,000 in food credits via Electronic Benefit Transfer cards, redeemable at accredited retailers for nutritious items. Families may redeem up to 36 times and continue receiving assistance until those allocations are fully used, a support that beneficiaries like a Masbate-based food vendor say eases the strain of feeding school-age children and extended families.