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Alexis Romero - The Philippine Star
December 23, 2025 | 12:00am
In a Facebook post, the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said the hunger indicators among beneficiary households of the “Walang Gutom” program have decreased, with the rate dropping from 48.7 percent in October last year to 41.5 percent last March.
KJ Rosales
MANILA, Philippines — Being free from hunger is a “fundamental right,” Malacañang said yesterday, as it highlighted the administration’s gains in addressing food insecurity.
In a Facebook post, the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said the hunger indicators among beneficiary households of the “Walang Gutom” program have decreased, with the rate dropping from 48.7 percent in October last year to 41.5 percent last March.
“Under Bagong Pilipinas, the administration remains committed to ensuring that ending hunger is a fundamental right. Building on Walang Gutom 2027, it aims to sustain progress and restore dignity and resilience to every Filipino,” the government’s lead communication arm said.
The nationwide anti-hunger program, created in 2023 through Executive Order 44, seeks to free 750,000 food-poor families from hunger by 2027. Each household beneficiary receives P3,000 worth of monthly food credits through electronic benefit transfer cards, redeemable at partner retailers.
A Social Weather Stations survey commissioned by Globe and Monde Nissin indicated that hunger prevalence among program beneficiaries decreased by 7.2 percentage points within a six-month period from October 2024 to March this year.
Hunger prevalence, which was at 48.7 percent in October, dropped to 44.6 percent in December and went down further to 41.5 percent in March.
The PCO said the Department of Social Welfare and Development has opened a food bank and soup kitchen at a former Philippine offshore gaming operator hub in FB Harrison, Pasay City.
With the help of fast-food chains, hotel groups and partners, the facility provides free breakfast and lunch to about 700 people daily and mobilizes volunteers from schools, non-government organizations and private companies.
It also operates a processing center for homeless people through intake interviews, biometrics and ID documentation and case management.
According to the PCO, the social welfare department has identified nearly 15,000 beneficiaries in Metro Manila since 2023 and has helped about half of them return to their provinces and provided them with livelihood support.
The agency seeks to expand the Walang Gutom Kitchen to assist beneficiaries in Central Luzon and Central Visayas next year.
