Food stamp program to roll out July 18 in Tondo

SOCIAL Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian on Saturday said the pilot of the government’s food stamp program will finally be rolled out on Tuesday next week, July 18, with 50 poor families identified to benefit from this in Tondo, Manila.

 “We will inform you with the details on Monday. Palaki nang palaki yan until we hit the pilot mark na 3,500 families nationwide,” Gatchalian said in a news forum in Quezon City. 

 “After 6 months na pilot sa program, we will… scale up,” he added. 

“Handang-handa na tayo sa kickoff. The pilot is 3,000 and the initial run is 50. Yung pilot ayokong biglain siya. Yung pilot… tukoy na kasi lahat, poor families and pregnant and lactating women,” he added.

Gatchalian said the Asian Development Bank has provided his agency a $3-million grant for the technical assistance of the food stamp’s pilot program which would last until December and would cover around 300,000 families. 

Target beneficiaries will receive food credits worth P3,000 “to purchase a select list of food commodities from DSWD-accredited local retailers,” he earlier said. The Kadiwa ng Pangulo, limited stores, and groceries would be an important part of the program where beneficiaries could use their cards that act as vouchers. 

Beneficiaries could only exchange the P3,000 credits for food covering their baskets. Half of the basket will be allotted for carbohydrate foods, 30 percent for protein, and 20 percent for fats. 

The program’s mechanism aims to change the behavior of the beneficiaries, the social welfare chief said, noting that this is different from the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).