PBBM OKs REFUEL Project to fight food insecurity

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. approved the enhanced Reducing Food Insecurity and Undernutrition with Electronic Vouchers (REFUEL) Project, aimed at combating food insecurity and undernutrition.

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board, chaired by the President, approved the project during its final meeting before transitioning to the Economy and Development (ED) Council.

Spearheaded by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), REFUEL is an enhancement of the Philippine Food STAMP and a strategy under the Walang Gutom 2027 Food Stamp Program.

The project will scale up implementation from July 2025 to July 2028, targeting 750,000 food-insecure households identified from the DSWD's Listahanan 3 database.

This initiative will be funded by an estimated PHP74.6 billion from the Asian Development Bank, Agence Française de Développement, and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries Fund for International Development.

According to the 2023 National Nutrition Survey, three in every 10 Filipino households experience moderate to severe food insecurity.

NEDA Secretary Arsenio Balisacan stated that the program reflects a renewed focus on ending hunger and promoting resilience through nutrition-sensitive social protection.