NEGROS OCCIDENTAL—Approximately 43,021 households in Negros Occidental are set to receive monthly food assistance worth PHP3,000 each as part of the Department of Social Welfare and Development's 'Walang Gutom: Food Stamp Program.'
According to Philippines News Agency, the information officer of DSWD-6 (Western Visayas), this initiative particularly targets households in Negros Occidental identified as food poor via the Listahanan database, a comprehensive tool used nationwide to pinpoint and aid the country's impoverished. The 'Walang Gutom' program issues an electronic benefit transfer (EBT) card loaded with PHP3,000 monthly, which beneficiaries can use to buy food from partnered retailers.
Following the recent launch of the program in the region, E.B. Magalona and Victorias City have already seen residents receive their EBT cards. Beneficiaries, like Imelda Peñaflorida and Daisy Olinares, expressed significant relief and gratitude, noting the positive impact on their families' nutrition and overall wellbeing.
DSWD-6 Assistant Regional Director for Operations, Arwin Razo, emphasized that the initiative, prompted by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. through Executive Order No. 44, aims to ensure no Filipino family suffers from hunger, regardless of their locale.