Some 32,000 families are to avail of the Food Stamp Program in Central Visayas.

Department of Social Welfare and Development in Central Visayas (DSWD-7) regional director Shalaine Marie Lucero told DAILY TRIBUNE that the agency is still preparing for the program’s full implementation as they are also training the staff needed in the areas covered.

“We are still in the stage of engaging in the local government unit (LGU) so we can discuss the potential beneficiaries of the Food Stamp, the mechanism on how they will be enrolled to the program and of course the support from the local government unit,” she said.

With the success of the pilot implementation of the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) “Food Stamp Program” last year, the agency has expanded more areas covered, including provinces in Region 7, for its full implementation this July.

In Central Visayas, 32,000 families who are food poor will initially come from Cebu Province and Negros Oriental.

DSWD-7 is targeting to start the validation of beneficiaries on 3 June and finish by the time of the implementation in July.

The program aims to reduce the incidence of involuntary hunger and the DSWD will provide monetary assistance of P3,000 that will be released through Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards every month.

Beneficiaries will use their EBT cards to purchase selected food and commodities from eligible merchants accredited by DSWD that would include cooperatives,small medium enterprises, and Kadiwa stores.

 Lucero said the eligible beneficiaries are considered to be “food poor” or those families who do not have the capability to “buy” or “access food.”

 A beneficiary should be  a “ food-poor” family, or those belonging to the lowest income bracket with a monthly income of P8,000.

Lucero further explained that one of the designs of the program is its allocation of 50 percent of the amount for carbohydrates-rich foods, 30 percent for protein, and 20 percent for fats.