Food stamps beneficiaries required to upskill while under program - DSWD

MANILA — Beneficiaries of the government's food stamps project are required to upskill while they are enrolled in the program, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said Thursday.

Attending a "job-generating" course from the Labor Department or from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) would be required from beneficiaries or anyone from their households to be retained in the food stamps program, said DSWD Assistant Secretary Romel Lopez.

"Hindi naman po before entering, during po ng ating duration ng ating program. ‘Yun ang ating requirements para sa retention sa ating program," Lopez told ABS-CBN's TeleRadyo.

"Kasi we encourage them kasi yes nakatatanggap ka na ng assistance mula sa inyong pamahalaan but in return tulungan po natin ang ating sarili at the same time para maging kapakipakinabang tayo na miyembro ng society," he added.

Some 3,000 families will participate in the pilot run of the food stamps program from July to December, according to the DSWD.

Under the program, which aims to change the eating habits of food-poor households, each family will be given tap cards containing P3,000 worth of food credits per month, it added.

Around 100,000 to 300,000 will be enrolled in the food stamp program in 2024 and another 300,000 the following year until the government reaches its 1 million target, said Lopez.

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— TeleRadyo, June 8, 2023