Leyte: Leyte 1st District Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez on Tuesday vowed that the House of Representatives will give its full support to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s Walang Gutom Program (WGP), including adequate funding under the proposed 2026 national budget. In a statement, Romualdez, who is expected to again be elected as the House Speaker in the 20th Congress, emphasized that 'no Filipino should go hungry in a nation full of promise and potential.'
According to Philippines News Agency, Romualdez's statement came after the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) announced plans to expand the Walang Gutom program from its current reach of 300,000 households to 750,000 food-poor families by next year. The program provides PHP3,000 worth of monthly food credits through an electronic benefit transfer (EBT) card that can be used to purchase select food items from accredited merchants. Beneficiaries are also required to attend monthly nutrition education sessions to foster healthy food practices, as well as productivity enhancement sessions.
Romualdez praised the President for making hunger eradication a pillar of the Bagong Pilipinas vision. 'Makikita mo ang puso ng ating Pangulo sa programang ito. Ang laban sa gutom ay hindi lamang polisiya kundi personal niyang misyon. Walang pamilyang Pilipino ang dapat maiwan sa laylayan ng lipunan (You can see the heart of our President in this program. The fight against hunger is not just a policy but his personal mission. No Filipino family should be left in the margins of society),' he said.
He also cited the critical coordination between DSWD and the Department of Agriculture (DA) in implementing the complementary 'Benteng Bigas, Meron Na!' program, which makes PHP20 per kg. rice available at selected Kadiwa stores and partner retailers, primarily to Walang Gutom beneficiaries and members of vulnerable sectors. Romualdez said expanding Walang Gutom means investing not only in subsidies but in the full value chain -- from farmer support to nutrition education.
He urged fellow lawmakers to rally behind the 2026 General Appropriations Bill (GAB) to provide both the DSWD and DA with the resources needed to meet the program's growing goals. 'Kung gusto nating wakasan ang gutom, kailangang suportado ang magsasaka sa produksyon, ang mamimili sa abot-kayang presyo, at ang bawat pamilya sa kaalaman at kabuhayan. Hindi sapat ang ayuda -- kailangan ito'y tulay tungo sa kaunlaran ((If we want to end hunger, we need to support farmers in production, consumers with affordable goods, and every family with relevant skills and livelihood),' he said.
