President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Thursday launched electronic food vouchers for some 750,000 beneficiaries of the Walang Gutom Program (WGP), in a bid to strengthen and scale up the government’s anti-hunger campaign.

During the launch of the Reducing Food Insecurity and Undernutrition with Electronic Vouchers (REFUEL) Project, Marcos said the government would assist the WGP beneficiaries in using the digital vouchers.

“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 said.

“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),” he added.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has partnered with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to roll out the monthly electronic food vouchers, aiming to expand the WGP’s coverage to 750,000 households nationwide by 2026.

The WGP provides a monthly PHP3,000 electronic food credits to low-income households.

Meanwhile, the PHP74-billion REFUEL Project, a government-led initiative supporting the scale-up of the WGP, is funded through 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.

The newly launched program aims to support the WGP’s mission of reducing hunger and improving nutrition from 2025 to 2028 through food support, behavior change sessions, and stronger social protection systems.

DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian said the launch of the REFUEL Project marks another milestone in the agency’s efforts to innovate food assistance programs and ensure that every Filipino family has access to nutritious and affordable food.

“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,” Gatchalian said.

“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,” he added. (PNA)