(Photo courtesy of PNA)
LEGAZPI CITY – A total of 1,219 residents in Legazpi City are receiving food assistance worth Php 3,000 each under the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Walang Gutom Program.
The three-day food redemption activity began Wednesday, November 11, at the Legazpi City Convention Center and will continue until November 13.
On the first day, 375 beneficiaries, including low-income families, senior citizens, persons with disabilities, solo parents and women, claimed their food packages.
Each package contains rice and other nutritious food items classified under the Go, Grow and Glow categories to help meet the dietary needs of beneficiary households.
The distribution marks the beneficiaries’ 10th food assistance cycle this year. Qualified households may receive monthly assistance for up to three years, subject to compliance with program requirements.
Among the recipients was Gracita Arnedo, a mother of three whose husband works as a farmer. She said the assistance has helped ease the family’s daily food expenses.
“This is a big help with our daily needs because we no longer have to buy food or worry about where our next meal will come from,” Arnedo said.
Noeme Tablate, 52, of Barangay Cagbacong, said the program allows her to allocate more of the family’s limited income toward her child’s education.
“Instead of spending money on food, I can now use it for my child’s school expenses,” she said.
Meanwhile, Renilda Babasa, a mother of five whose husband works as a tricycle driver, said the monthly food assistance helps sustain her family’s food supply.
“This is enough for our family for a month. We only need to buy the items we lack,” Babasa said.
The Walang Gutom Program, implemented under the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., aims to reduce involuntary hunger and improve access to nutritious food among low-income Filipino households.
Through regular food assistance, the government seeks to ease household expenses while addressing food insecurity among vulnerable communities.
