By Robina Asido

As part of the government's effort to address the poverty and hunger in the country, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. led the pilot launching of the Food Stamp Program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Manila on Tuesday.

In his speech, Marcos expressed hope that with the anti-poverty program of the DSWD there will be no Filipino that will suffer from hunger by the end of his term.

"This is the continuing part of all that we have tried to do so, as to be able to achieve what we call the 'walang gutom' and for those who are not speaking Tagalog 'walang gutom' means "no more hunger" and that is the dream of this administration," he said.

"That is what we are hoping to achieve in this administration. By the end of 2028 we can say that we have done everything to reduce hunger and poverty in our country to be able to ensure that we can provide a good healthy and productive life for our people," he added.

Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian said the program is funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Asian Development Bank and the French Development Agency through grants amounting to US$3 million.

The program that was attended by 50 food stamp beneficiaries together with Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte, Gatchalian, Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna and other local and national government officials was held at Don Bosco Youth Center in Tondo.

Marcos stressed that it is "always the dream of any government, of any leader that we are able to do something about hunger around our country.

"We have always tried to rise up from the throes of poverty, but the problem of hunger and malnutrition still remains and that's why it has become a priority of our of this government, that we will fight all the poverty, we will put in all the programs so that one day, we can say that we are able to give our people at the very least the food that they need to survive, the nutrition that they need to survive," he said.

"It is not enough that we just provide all kinds of food, but also that it is of nutritional value that will allow especially our children and our nursing mothers to become a center of healthful life for their children for their families and their communities," he added. DMS