DSWD: Food packs don’t cost P1,503
‘Actually, fake news. This started from a post by someone. He said that one of our food packs costs P1,503.’
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‘Actually, fake news. This started from a post by someone. He said that one of our food packs costs P1,503.’
A P1,503 price tag attached to government food packs has sparked outrage online — but the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said the figure was not the amount it actually paid for them.
DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian on Monday dismissed the claim as a “misinterpretation, misappreciation, fake news,” saying the viral posts confused the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) with the actual procurement price.
A now-deleted social media post claimed that each family food pack (FFP) distributed by the DSWD cost P1,503.
“Actually, fake news. This started from a post by someone. He said that one of our food packs costs P1,503,” Gatchalian said in a morning television interview.
The P1,503 figure, he explained, was the ABC — the maximum amount the government was prepared to spend for the procurement — and not the amount paid to the supplier.
“The actual award price was only P797.80. There is no truth to the claim that P1,503 was the award price,” said Gatchalian, stressing that DSWD food packs undergo competitive bidding.
The issue gained fresh traction after another netizen compared the retail prices of the food items in the packs and claimed they totaled only P628.
The post listed four tuna flakes cans at P34 each, two sardine tins at P19 each, four corned beef cans at P30 each, five sachets of coffee at P7.50 each, five sachets of chocolate powder at P8.10 each, and six kilos of rice worth P288.
The DSWD said the amount of P1,503.84 was the maximum price bidders could offer during the procurement process.
In the bidding, the agency said 2 Go Global International Corporation submitted the lowest price and was awarded the contract at P797.80 per prepacked FFP.
Millions of packs released
The price controversy comes as the DSWD continues a massive relief operation following weeks of storms, monsoon rains and flooding throughout the country.
Gatchalian said the agency has distributed more than 2.3-million FFPs, describing it as one of the biggest food pack distributions in the agency’s history.
The DSWD currently has 3,586,913 FFPs, 301,570 ready-to-eat food packs, and 282,931 non-food items prepositioned in strategic locations nationwide.
These supplies are deployed to communities affected by tropical cyclones “Luis,” “Maymay” and “Neneng,” as well as the recent flooding in Central Luzon and parts of the National Capital Region.
Gatchalian said local government units remain the first responders responsible for distributing assistance, while the DSWD provides additional resources.
The agency said it has complied with LGU requests, although some local governments are now seeking second and third rounds of assistance as the prolonged disaster continues.
The DSWD said food items undergo strict quality control testing by the Department of Science and Technology–Food and Nutrition Research Institute to ensure that they meet required safety and nutritional standards.
