Following the successful launch of the Food Stamp Program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Siargao Island, Surigao del Norte on Friday, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is looking at expanding it starting next month.

“I have to say that it’s proceeding smoothly and we will be upscaling it within the next month or so. We are aiming at the next face of this rollout, we are already looking to 3,000 families to be beneficiaries,” Marcos told reporters in an interview on the sidelines of the rice distribution event in Surigao del Norte.

Marcos led the launching of the food stamp program at the Teatro Nan Dapa in Dapa, Siargao Island where he distributed the Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards, loaded with P3,000 food credits, to at least 50 beneficiaries in the province.

While the food stamp program is still in the pilot stage, Marcos said so far it is giving promising results as he stood firm that it should conform to its purpose in the long run, which is to make it accessible to ordinary citizens, especially in the far-flung areas.

The chief executive extended his gratitude to international sponsors such as the United Nations’ World Food Programme, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and the government of France for helping the Philippines in realizing the food stamp program.

The grant of $3 million came from France, ADB and Japan International Cooperation Agency. Next year’s target would be 300,000 households.

“So far, maganda naman kasi. Maganda ‘yung programa na ginawa ng World Food Programme,” Marcos said.

The food stamp program of the DSWD that aims to decrease the incidence of involuntary hunger by improving the availability and accessibility of nutritious food for less fortunate households while helping address nutritional concerns. It provides cash-based assistance in the form of EBT Cards.

It is a pilot program intended for 3,000 families in five areas, namely, Tondo, Manila; Dapa, Siargao; San Mariano, Isabela; Garchitorena, Camarines Sur; and Parang, Maguindanao.

The DSWD pilot-tested the program on July 18 in Tondo. Presidential News Desk