Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 15) — The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is set to roll out next week the pilot implementation of the government’s food stamp program in Tondo, Manila.
“Magki-kick off na tayo sa Tuesday [We will kick this off on Tuesday],” DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian told reporters in a forum on Saturday.
READ: DSWD to pilot food stamp program as early as July
“‘Yung pilot, gradual phasing, sisimulan natin sa 50 na pamilya sa Tondo sa Tuesday [The pilot will be in gradual phasing, we will start with 50 families in Tondo],” he said. “We will inform you on the details by Monday.”
The trial project will run for six months for 3,000 families who have a monthly income of ₱8,000 or less, the secretary pointed out.
The DSWD will study the results for a month or two then disclose the findings to the public before embarking on a scaled-up plan to add 300,000 families per year, he added.
In May, Gatchalian said the pilot implementation will target geographically isolated regions or provinces, urban poor settings, calamity-stricken areas, and rural poor settings – which will include the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
It is funded through a $3-million grant (around ₱163 million) from the Asian Development Bank and the World Food Programme, the secretary said.
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