By John Victor D. Ordoñez, Reporter
THE DEPARTMENT of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said on Wednesday that the Asian Development Bank (ADB) is planning to provide an additional $2-million (about P113 million) grant to support the government’s food stamp program.
“The initial grant was $3 million (P170 million), but ADB is working out another grant for another $2 million and hopefully, we will incorporate your input of looking into the high concentration of indigenous peoples communities,” DSWD Secretary Rexlon T. Gatchalian told a Senate hearing on the DSWD’s budget after Senator Francis N. Tolentino suggested to include indigenous peoples (IPs) in the food stamp program.
Under the 2024 proposed National Expenditure Program (NEP), the food stamp program has a budget of P1.9 billion. The Senate finance panel approved the agency’s proposed P207.37-billion budget for 2024, pending plenary deliberations.
“That’s why part of the program that we want to pitch later on to the economic managers when they start funding the (food stamp) program is to come up with a database that is local government unit-driven,” the Social Welfare chief said.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. in June ordered the DSWD to ensure that pregnant and lactating mothers and single parents will benefit from the program.
Earlier, the DSWD Secretary said the ADB, the Japan International Cooperation Agency, and the French Development Agency would fund the pilot testing of the food stamp program.