STRICT MONITORING. The Office of the City Agriculturist of the Tacloban city government conducts strict monitoring at the city public market to ensure that vendors will only sell fresh and safe sea products as the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources issues advisory of red tide toxins in several coastal waters in the region. (TACLOBAN CITY INFORMATION OFFICE)

There are more than 48,200 beneficiaries in EV

TACLOBAN CITY – About 48,261 of the ‘poorest of the poor’ from four provinces in Eastern Visayas will receive P3,000 per month until 2027 as beneficiaries of the government’s food stamp program.

In addition to making the identified beneficiaries food sufficient, the program will also support local farmers, according to lawyer Jonalyndie Chua, the information officer of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
The program had a soft launch in the region on July 18 in the town of Palo, Leyte, attended by Undersecretary Edu Punay and town mayor Remedios Petilla.
Chua explained that the beneficiaries were identified through their ‘Listahan,’ or the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR), which is an information management system that identifies who and where the poor are in the country.
“While the program aims to address hunger and malnutrition among our identified beneficiaries, the beauty of this food stamp program is that it will also help our local farmers,” she said.
According to Chua, their retailer partners can source products like rice, fruits, and vegetables from local farmers.
Under the food stamp program, the beneficiaries will receive an electronic beneficiary transfer card worth P3,000, which they will use exclusively for food purchases: 50 percent for go foods (carbohydrates), 30 percent for grow foods (protein), and 20 percent for glow foods (fruits and vegetables).
“They must spend the entire amount of P3,000 on food items only. This way, we aim to address hunger and malnutrition,” Chua said.
She also mentioned that members of the 4Ps (Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program) and senior citizens are not included in the food stamp program.
Of the 48,261 targeted beneficiaries, 5,073 will come from Northern Samar; 12,258 from Samar; 7,618 from Eastern Samar; and 23,312 from Leyte.
The other two provinces in the region, Biliran and Southern Leyte, were not included as they are no longer considered food-poor provinces.For this program, the national government allocated P5.21 billion, covering the three-year implementation of the program until 2027.
(JOEY A. GABIETA/LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)

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