DSWD rolls out anti-hunger, livelihood aid at 'Handog ng Pangulo' caravan

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will bring key programs nationwide as part of the “Handog ng Pangulo: Serbisyong Sapat para sa Lahat” caravan, which coincides with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s 68th birthday on Saturday, 13 September.

At the center of DSWD’s participation is the simultaneous nationwide redemption for 300,000 households under the Walang Gutom Program (WGP), the administration’s flagship anti-hunger initiative.

“This could not be more fitting as our President has truly placed the fight against hunger and poverty at the forefront of his administration’s priority. Kung matatandaan ninyo, inihayag mismo ng ating Presidente na ang birthday wish niya ay sana wala nang magugutom na Pilipino. Itong Walang Gutom Program na nabuo sa ilalim ng administrasyon ni PBBM is one of our concrete ways of realizing this vision,” DSWD spokesperson Asst. Secretary Irene Dumlao said.

The Walang Gutom Kitchen (WGK) will also operate during the caravan to serve people experiencing involuntary hunger and families and individuals in street situations. All 16 mobile kitchens will be dispatched to geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas to serve hot meals to over 8,000 individuals nationwide. The DSWD also allocated 10,000 family food packs per region for families recently hit by disasters and those still in evacuation centers.

“Beyond food assistance, the DSWD will be conducting Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) payouts and the turn over of completed Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS) subprojects such as pathways, access roads, daycare centers, barangay health stations, and drainage canals,” Asst. Secretary Dumlao added.

The DSWD will also take part in the return of the “Love Bus” in Metro Manila, launching at the Valenzuela Gateway Complex. The new units come from the Persons with Disabilities–Electric Transportation Service (PWD-ETS) project under the SLP. Twenty SLP associations, in collaboration with Global Electric Transport (GET) Philippines, will operate 20 buses on various routes. Each unit has wheelchair ramps and other accessibility features.

“This move reflects the wide vision of President Marcos, who always looks for ways to amplify the impact of government programs, particularly among the vulnerable sectors,” Dumlao said.