Manila: Expanding the Department of Social Welfare and Development's Walang Gutom Program could help the Philippines achieve its Zero Hunger target within the next two to three years, a National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) official said Tuesday.

According to Philippines News Agency, NAPC Lead Convenor Secretary Lope Santos III emphasized that increasing the program's budget would allow it to reach more food-poor families and support the country's commitment to Sustainable Development Goal 2, which aims to end hunger.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is aiming to reach 1 million beneficiary families, referencing Philippine Statistics Authority data that indicates approximately 760,000 families are living below the food poverty threshold. With each family receiving PHP3,000 a month, the program would necessitate about PHP3 billion monthly, or PHP36 billion annually.

Santos highlighted that the funding would establish a stable market for farmers, fisherfolk, and local food processors, who would be responsible for supplying food for the program. "It will provide additional economic development for our farmers and fisherfolk," he stated. "Data showed the poorest sector is the farmers, fisherfolk, and Indigenous Peoples. This is what we say is very ironic; our food producers are the most hungry and poor."

He pointed out that government spending on poverty reduction continues to rise, with over PHP700 million worth of projects this year being executed by various government agencies under the national poverty reduction program. Each agency is tasked with monitoring its own projects and reporting the outcomes to the NAPC.

The program is currently being implemented in the provinces of Iloilo, Antique, and Capiz.