The pilot implementation of a food stamps program aimed to combat hunger will kick off in Tondo on July 18, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said on Saturday.

Social Welfare and Development Secretary Rex Gatchalian told a forum that 50 families were selected. The food stamps program is aimed at one million families, which government data has identified as the poorest of the poor.

The program is funded by a $3 million grant from the Asian Development Bank, Japan International Cooperation Agency and the French Development Agency.

Gatchalian said "the pilot will take within six months to fully mature."

He said "in this program, those one million Filipino families will be given electronic benefit cards. They're like tap cards, but instead of cash, they contain food credits."

The tap card will allow a family to buy P3,000 worth of food monthly at '' accredited retailers, those 'Kadiwa ng Pangulo,' groceries, small supermarkets.''

''When they tap on that (card), they will buy from the menu of food that was developed by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI)," he added.

Gatchalian said "according to PSA (Philippine Statistics Authority) data, one million Filipino families are called food poor, not just poor, food poor. They are the poorest of the poor."

He said "the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI), they are with us in developing the menu of what you can buy, so we also rely on experts.

Based on the FNRI menu, 50 percent will go to carbohydrates, 30 percent for protein and 20 percent for good fat.

There are conditions, Gatchalian added. "First, those families must not consume items that are not on the menu. Your menu is restricted. Second, they will attend nutrition development classes because that is important.

"And thirdly, because their reason is that you have already eaten, you have energy. There is no reason not to go out and be part of the productive Filipino people. We want them to find work out there," he added.

He said the program aims "to empower our poor countrymen, our food poor citizens to make the right choice that is in line with the needs of their families."

Gatchalian added that the goal of the program "is to suppress hunger by providing food, but we also want behavioral change."

After six months of the pilot program, Gatchalian said "we will look at your results. If your results are good, then we move to the scale up where it will be initially 300,000 families and then another 300,000 the year after until we reach that one million Filipino families that are food poor. Eric Acidre/DMS