Bill to institutionalize food stamp program hurdles House panel | ABS-CBN

ADVERTISEMENT

dpo-dps-seal
Welcome, Kapamilya! We use cookies to improve your browsing experience. Continuing to use this site means you agree to our use of cookies. Tell me more!

Bill to institutionalize food stamp program hurdles House panel

Bill to institutionalize food stamp program hurdles House panel

Vivienne Gulla,

ABS-CBN News

Clipboard

MANILA — A bill to institutionalize the government’s food stamp program for poor families got the nod of the House Committee on Social Services on Tuesday.

The program seeks to reduce the incidence of voluntary hunger in low-income households by providing P3,000 monthly assistance to beneficiaries, which are loaded into an Electronic Benefit Transfer cards, for the purchase of select food commodities from eligible partner merchant stores.


The amount cannot be withdrawn as cash, the Department of Social Welfare and Development stressed.

During the committee meeting, Bulacan 2nd District Rep. Augustina Dominique Pancho proposed to increase the amount of assistance to a more “realistic” P5,000 .

“Kasi P3,000 for one month, I think that’s impossible,” she said.


Nueva Ecija 3rd District Representative Rosanna “Ria” Vergara, chair of the House Committee on Social Services, said she supports the idea but that it might get shot down on the House floor as too high.


“That’s why I like your proposal na it will depend on the inter-agency committee. We will talk to the authors, but we support that to increase P3,000 to P5,000 initially,” she said.

ADVERTISEMENT


The DSWD targets to scale up this July the implementation of the food stamp program to benefit 300,000 families from just 3,000 beneficiaries under the pilot implementation.


The budget for the program, however, is only sufficient for 100,000 beneficiaries while the DSWD seeks more funding from the Department of Budget and Management.




4PS BENEFICIARIES EXCLUDED FROM FOOD STAMP LIST

DSWD Assistant Secretary Baldr Bringas, meanwhile, noted that beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) will be excluded from the list of food stamp program beneficiaries for the scaled up implementation this year, which begins in July.

“In our approved [General Appropriations Act], it specifically mentions to exclude 4Ps beneficiaries. For this year, there will be no 4Ps beneficiaries who will benefit from the food stamp program because of that special provision in the GAA,” he explained.


The GAA is the national budget for the year.

“I just wanna make sure they don’t feel like palakasan… sasabihin nila ay kakilala kasi ng pamilya nito ‘yung naglilista kaya nandoon,” Rep. Vergara told the DSWD.

“We work independently using our own database… We identify beneficiaries by selecting the bottom 1 million households based on lLstahanan,” Bringas assured the panel.

Some lawmakers also defended the food stamp program from observations that it is a “band-aid solution” to poverty, hunger and inflation issues in the country.


'BAND-AID' SOLUTION?


Vergara acknowledged it is a short-term solution but added putting it into law will help make it a longer-term government program.

“Malaking tulong ‘yan para sa poorest of  the poor families where food is actually a problem. But then again our goal here in Congress is of course to provide immediate relief, but also to look for long-term solutions katulad nitong Rice Tariffication Law. If rice is more accessible, mas mababa na ang presyo, ay hindi namomroblema ang karamihan ng mga pamilyang Pilipino,” Bataan 1st District Rep. Geraldine Roman added.


“In a way band-aid solutions, yes. Superficial po in a way kasi immediate lang po siya but we do believe, I think that this would have long-term effects,” 1-RIDER Party List Rep. Ramon Rodrigo Gutierrez noted.

DSWD noted that the program requires beneficiaries to attend productivity enhancement sessions with the Department of Labor and Environment and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority to help them develop skills and find employment or livelihood.


RELATED VIDEO




ADVERTISEMENT

Bid for suspension of House leaders is ‘retaliation’ for Sara Duterte impeachment, says majority leader

Bid for suspension of House leaders is ‘retaliation’ for Sara Duterte impeachment, says majority leader

Vivienne Gulla,

ABS-CBN News

Clipboard

(L-R) Ret. Gen. Virgilio Garcia, Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez, Atty. Ferdie Topacio, senatorial aspirant Jimmy Bondoc, and Citizens Crime Watch’s Diego Magpantay filed criminal and graft complaints before the Office of the Ombudsman on February 10, 2025, against House Speaker Martin Romualdez, House Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe, former appropriations chair Rep. Zaldy Co, and acting chair Rep. Stella Quimbo for alleged illegal P241 billion budget insertions. The complainants claim the budget signed by President Marcos contained blank sections, with insertions made post-bicam ratification. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News 



MANILA — A motion asking the Office of the Ombudsman to suspend House Speaker Martin Romualdez and other lawmakers due to questions over the 2025 budget is a “political retaliation” for Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment, House Majority Leader Manuel Jose “Mannix” Dalipe said Thursday.  

“The request for the Ombudsman to order the preventive suspension of House leaders is a blatant political maneuver aimed at disrupting the work of Congress. It is no coincidence that this comes at a time when discussions on the impeachment have gained traction,” Dalipe said.

Davao del Norte First District Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez and other complainants sought the preventive suspension of Romualdez, Dalipe, House Committee on Appropriations acting chairperson Stella Quimbo, and the panel’s former head Elizaldy Co in relation to a graft complaint over alleged “insertions” in the enrolled bill on the 2025 national budget.

The complaint cited the respondents’ “power” and “influence” at the House of Representatives, which could supposedly be used to “suborn witnesses, tamper with evidence, and perjure testimony to escape penalty”.

ADVERTISEMENT

But Dalipe said the complaint was being used as “a diversionary tactic to shift public attention away from the real issue—the impeachment case against the Vice President and the accountability questions she must answer.”

“This is a desperate attempt to weaponize the Ombudsman for political retaliation because the House remains steadfast in upholding transparency and accountability, regardless of political affiliations,” he added.

“Malinaw ang taktika nila: mag-file ng mga kaso para may balitang pantakip sa mga isyung hinaharap ng mga Duterte. Kahit walang kuwentang kaso, isasampa sa korte para ilihis ang isyu at palabasin na masama ang mga House Members na nag-impeach sa Vice President,” Dalipe said.

He also believes the complaint seeks to discredit the House leaders.

“The timing of this complaint is telling—it is meant to pressure the House and create a false narrative that undermines the integrity of its leadership. However, we will not be intimidated by these tactics. The House remains focused on serving the Filipino people, ensuring government funds are used properly, and holding public officials accountable—regardless of political connections,” Dalipe said.

Alvarez, an ally of the Dutertes, filed the complaint last February 10, alleging that P241 billion was “inserted” in the 2025 enrolled General Appropriations Bill (GAB).

Quimbo and Senate President Francis Escudero had explained that the ratified bicameral conference committee report contained an omnibus motion, which stated that if there were changes between the report and the printed copy, the latter would prevail. Quimbo said the value for the blanks in the report were already determined by the bicameral conference committee and were part of existing documents.

“Let’s be clear: the General Appropriations Bill (GAB) is a product of rigorous, transparent, and lawful deliberations. The allegations of ‘insertions’ are misleading and baseless, designed to discredit Speaker Romualdez and the House leadership for purely political ends. If there are genuine concerns, they should be addressed within the proper legislative processes, not through political harassment,” Dalipe said.

“We trust that the Ombudsman will not allow itself to be used as a tool for political games and will dismiss this baseless request for preventive suspension,” he added.

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

It looks like you’re using an ad blocker

Our website is made possible by displaying online advertisements to our visitors. Please consider supporting us by disabling your ad blocker on our website.

Our website is made possible by displaying online advertisements to our visitors. Please consider supporting us by disabling your ad blocker on our website.