President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. launched electronic food vouchers on Thursday for approximately 750,000 beneficiaries of the Walang Gutom Program (WGP) to enhance the government’s efforts against hunger. The event, part of the Reducing Food Insecurity and Undernutrition with Electronic Vouchers (REFUEL) Project, took place at the San Andres Sports Complex in Manila. Marcos assured continued support, stating, “Patuloy ang ating pagbigay ng tulong sa ating mga kababayan na nangangailangan ng tulong (We continue to provide assistance to our fellow countrymen in need).” He added, “Palagay ko pagkatapos ng taon, mas bababa po. Dahan-dahan pong natutupad ang pangarap ng inyong Pangulo, ang pangarap po ng bawat Pilipino na wala ng pamilyang nagugutom (I believe that by the end of the year, the numbers will go down further. Slowly but surely, the dream of your President — and the dream of every Filipino — where no family goes hungry is being fulfilled).”
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has collaborated with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to distribute monthly electronic food vouchers, expanding WGP coverage to 750,000 households by 2026. Under WGP, low-income households receive PHP3,000 in electronic food credits each month. The REFUEL Project, valued at PHP74 billion, is funded by a loan from the ADB and co-financed by the Agence Française de Développement and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries Fund for International Development. It will support WGP’s goals from 2025 to 2028 through food assistance, behavior change programs, and improved social protection systems.
DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian highlighted the project’s significance, saying, “This partnership with the Asian Development Bank reflects President Marcos Jr. and the DSWD’s vision of a Philippines where no one goes to bed hungry. Through the REFUEL Project, we are expanding the reach and impact of the Walang Gutom Program so that more families can have access to nutritious food.” He further noted, “The REFUEL Project reflects our joint commitment to design evidence-based, sustainable programs that respond to the needs of Filipino families and promote inclusive growth.”
A Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey, commissioned by Globe and Monde Nissin, showed a decline in hunger prevalence among WGP beneficiaries, dropping to 41.5 percent in March 2024 from 48.7 percent in October 2023 and 44.6 percent in December 2023. Overall, hunger incidence fell by 7.2 percentage points, with the largest drop of 17.4 percentage points in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao-Plus cluster.