
Walang Gutom Program beneficiaries can use EBT card to buy P20/kg rice — DSWD
According to Dano Tingcungco's Monday report on '24 Oras,' an EBT card is similar to a debit card loaded with P3,000 per month.
The card can be used to buy food included in DSWD's pre-identified food group from Kadiwa-accredited retailers.
The available food products can provide the required carbohydrates and proteins for a family's dietary needs.
'Restricted yung menu ng food stamps natin. Binibigyan natin ng kapangyarihang pumili ang mga pamilya. Alam natin sa carbohydrates may bigas at sweet potato. Samu't saring carbohydrates na pwede nilang pagpilian so may portion dun na napupunta sa bigas,' Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian said.
(Our food stamp menu is restricted. We give families the power to choose. We know that carbohydrates include rice and sweet potatoes. They have a variety of carbohydrates to choose from, so a portion of that goes to rice.)
The WGP beneficiaries are guided in choosing the food they will purchase. A receipt will be handed out to them after they check out at a kiosk.
The beneficiaries do not need to max out the P3,000 credit, but it's better to maximize the amount since it aims to address zero hunger.
The DSWD said beneficiaries cannot also ask for an advance credit and will have to wait for another month before the balance in the card is topped up.
Minimum wage earners can also buy the P20 kilo rice even without the EBT. For now, 10 kilos of rice can be bought per person, but the government aims to have an additional kilo in the next months.
It is being implemented with the coordination of their employers.
DSWD said about 120,000 minimum wage earners are benefiting from the P20 kilo rice program, but the government aims to have one million beneficiaries before the year ends.
Meanwhile, at least 300,000 Walang Gutom Program beneficiaries are benefiting from the P20 kilo rice program. —Mariel Celine Serquiña/RF, GMA Integrated News
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'Mahalaga para sana may madaanan kami at mayroon kaming mapagbiladan ng palay namin,' said Robert Lopez, a rice farmer in Mangaldan, Pangasinan, in a report by GMA Regional TV. (It is vital so that we can have paved roads for our goods and an area for drying palay.) Approved by the DA, the local government in Mangaldan and the barangay, a farm-to-market road is set to connect Barangays Guilig, Malabago, and Bari. Initial groundwork, such as soil filling, has already begun. Guilig Councilman Louie Prestoza said the project, which is estimated to reach P3 million, will make it more convenient for farmers to transport their goods and will serve as an alternate route for public and private vehicles in the area. 'Hindi lang kami dito ang mabebenepisyuhan. Marami, kahit na taga-ibang lugar,' Prestoza said. (It is not just us here who will benefit. Many more residents, even from other places.) P20 per kilo of rice Marcos' campaign promise of P20 per kilo of rice has been initially implemented in the Visayas region, and is set to be rolled out across the country in the coming months. The second phase of the program commenced this July in the Mindanao region. Marcos said it took time for him to fulfill his promise because the government needs to assist the local farmers first, including the provision of machinery. The P20 per kilo rice initiative under the Kadiwa ng Pangulo program only allows members of vulnerable sectors—including indigents, senior citizens, persons with disabilities, and solo parents to buy NFA rice at P20 per kilogram. Moreover, it can also be availed by minimum wage earners. Marcos expressed confidence that his administration could sustain its implementation. Increasing prices of goods With the price of some goods increasing, Marcos said the government is also monitoring "price gouging" in the consumer market. 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