PBBM reaffirms admin’s commitment to end involuntary hunger among Filipinos

SUMPTUOUS LUNCH. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and DSWD Sec. Rex Gatchalian join beneficiaries for lunch at the Walang Gutom Kitchen in Pasay City on Thursday (Sept. 18, 2025). The beneficiaries also sang “Happy Birthday” to the President, who turned 68 last week. (Photo courtesy: PCO)

By Brian Campued

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Thursday joined volunteers in serving meals for Filipinos in need at the Walang Gutom Kitchen (WGK) in Pasay City, reaffirming the administration’s commitment to bolstering efforts on addressing involuntary hunger and malnutrition in the country.

The President, along with Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Sec. Rex Gatchalian and Pasay City Mayor Emi Calixto-Rubiano, visited the WGK to check its operations.

Marcos later ate and interacted with the beneficiaries, who also sang “Happy Birthday” to him. The Chief Executive turned 68 last Sept. 13.

The hearty meals consisted of rice paired with chicken, fish fillet, vegetables, palabok, adobo, and fresh fruits.

The Walang Gutom Kitchen is a food bank or soup kitchen operated by DSWD in collaboration with private sector partners.

It was inaugurated by First Lady Liza Marcos in December 2024 at the Nasdake Building in Pasay City, a former Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) hub repurposed as a DSWD Pag-Abot Center.

Aside from serving nutritious meals, the WGK offers learning activities under the “Tara, Basa” tutoring rogram as well as support to homeless families and individuals through the Pag-Abot Program.

The program provides comprehensive biopsychosocial services to address involuntary hunger and the diverse needs of families and individuals in street situations, in line with the President’s aspiration that no Filipino family goes hungry in the “Bagong Pilipinas”.

In his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) last July, the Chief Executive underscored the importance of expanding the DSWD’s Walang Gutom Program (WGP).

“Dahil alam naman natin, basta’t may laman ang tiyan, may laman ang isipan,” Marcos said.

Gatchalian previously revealed a 7.2% drop in hunger incidence among WGP beneficiaries in 10 regions and 22 provinces covered by the government’s hunger eradication program from October 2024 to March 2025.

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