Over 9K families redeem DSWD food stamps in Bicol

A total of 9,116 households have benefited from the Department of Social Welfare and Development's (DSWD) Walang Gutom: Food Stamp Program through their electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards worth PHP3,000 each. Sheryl Lofamia, DSWD-5 Food Stamp Program coordinator, said the beneficiaries from the provinces of Sorsogon and Camarines Sur redeemed their food stamp from August to September this year. "Each household beneficiary was able to utilize PHP3,000 worth of food credits. With these, they were able to put healthy meals on the table. They will receive a monthly credit of PHP3,000 for three years until 2027," Lofamia said in an interview. She said the food credits are allocated in three food groups -- PHP1,500 for carbohydrates (50 percent), PHP900 for protein (30 percent), and PHP600 for fiber-rich food (20 percent). She said that by 2025, "household beneficiaries from Albay, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes and Camarines Norte will also be included" in the program. The Food Stamp Program, created through Executive Order No. 44, is an anti-hunger and poverty reduction program aimed at decreasing the incidence of involuntary hunger experienced by Filipinos from low-income households. Source: Philippines News Agency