Govt lines up anti-hunger programs

MALACAÑANG on Tuesday announced that it has listed several programs that will directly solve hunger in the country.

Deputy spokesman Abigail Valte said that results of a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey done in December showed that self-rated hunger was statistically identical to results of the September 2011 survey.

She added that the decrease in self-rated poverty from 52 percent to 45 percent based on the SWS Fourth Quarter Survey (December 3-7, 2011) indicated that policies to promote inclusive growth were beginning to take effect.

“We continue to aggressively pursue programs to address the needs of vulnerable sectors by expanding the coverage of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) also more commonly known as the CCT (Conditional Cash Transfer) program through a P39.5-billion budget. We are also continuing the implementation of the Social Pension for Indigent Senior Filipino Citizens, the Supplemental Feeding Program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services,” Valte said.

The government is also pursuing “inter-agency convergence” on the part of the departments of Social Welfare, Education, Health and Interior and Local Governments to ensure that beneficiaries avail of education and health-care services, she added.

Valte said that the problem on poverty could not be solved overnight. –JAIME PILAPIL REPORTER, Manila Times