The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Tuesday welcomed the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showing a decline in the number of Filipino families experiencing involuntary hunger.

The second-quarter SWS survey, conducted from June 20 to 29, found that 20.3 percent of Filipino families experienced involuntary hunger, or being hungry and having nothing to eat at least once in the past three months.

The figure was 2.9 percentage points lower than the 23.2 percent recorded in March.

“The DSWD welcomes the result of this latest survey. Pinapakita po nito na nararamdaman ng ating mga kababayan ang mga programa at inisyatiba ng ating gobyerno laban sa kagutuman. Sabi nga ng ating Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., ang birthday wish niya ay tuluyang mawakasan ang kagutuman (This shows that our fellow Filipinos are feeling the impact of our government’s programs and initiatives to combat hunger. As President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has said, his birthday wish is to completely eradicate hunger),” DSWD spokesperson Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao said in a statement.

Dumlao attributed the decline to the government’s anti-hunger initiatives, including the Walang Gutom Program (WGP) and Walang Gutom Kitchen (WGK), which are operating in Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao.

“The decline in hunger in several parts of the country is encouraging and shows that government efforts, particularly the implementation of the Walang Gutom Program, are gaining traction. This is also consistent with an earlier study, which showed a decline in hunger among Walang Gutom beneficiaries,” Dumlao said.

Under the WGP, the DSWD provides PHP3,000 in monthly food credits to beneficiaries for the purchase of nutritious food from accredited merchants and retailers.

The program currently serves 600,000 beneficiaries.

The DSWD’s WGK initiative, meanwhile, provides free hot meals to individuals and families experiencing involuntary hunger.

The department currently operates three WGK facilities – at the Nasdake Building in Pasay City, Pier 4 OKK Square Unit in Cebu City, and the FGL Building in Zamboanga City. It plans to replicate the initiative in nine more strategic areas nationwide.

Dumlao said the latest SWS findings would also help the DSWD improve, innovate, and refine its social protection programs.

The SWS report said “the 2.9-point fall in hunger between March 2026 and June 2026 was due to decreases in Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, and the Visayas, even as hunger rose in Mindanao.”

“At the same time, we recognize that the situation is not the same across all regions. We will use this data to further improve the implementation of the WGP and other social protection measures; identify where the needs are greatest, and make sure that our interventions remain responsive to the families we serve as we continue collaborating with our local partners,” Dumlao said. (PNA)