Hunger among some 600,000 Filipino families enrolled in the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Walang Gutom Program has significantly declined, based on a survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations (SWS).

In a DZRH'S Dos Por Dos interview on Friday, DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian said the survey showed improvements in hunger, food insecurity, and food poverty among the program’s beneficiaries in 51 provinces.

Gatchalian said the incidence of hunger among beneficiaries fell by 6.7 percentage points, from 33.6% in the first survey round to 26.9% in the second round.

Food insecurity also declined by 4.7 percentage points, from 94% to 89.3%.

“So basically, ang sinasabi natin tumatalab ‘yung programa,” Gatchalian emphasized.

The survey covered 2,400 respondents and was conducted in two rounds—from February 24 to March 8 and from June 22 to July 1.

Gatchalian clarified that the survey was commissioned by Globe Telecom and not by the DSWD or the government.

Under the Walang Gutom Program, beneficiaries receive electronic cards loaded with P3,000, which they can use to purchase nutritious food from accredited local retailers.

The program targets the poorest households, particularly families earning less than P1,000 per month.

Gatchalian said the DSWD plans to enroll an additional 150,000 households this year, bringing the program’s total beneficiaries to 750,000, in line with the Philippine Statistics Authority's (PSA) estimate of food-poor families.

The DSWD aims to reach 750,000 families by the end of the year, with the long-term goal of reducing and eventually ending hunger during the current administration.

Watch the full interview below.