Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian on Thursday underscored the role of the Walang Gutom Program (WGP) in addressing hunger and malnutrition as beneficiaries demonstrated how lessons learned translate into healthy and affordable meals during the Walang Gutom Kusinero: Cook-Off Challenge.

Gatchalian said the cooking challenge highlights how nutrition education empowers food-poor families to make informed food choices and maximize government assistance.

“Hindi natin sila binibigyan lang ng food credits. Tinuturuan din natin sila ng kahalagahan kung paano mag-prepare ng masustansya at mura na mga pagkain para sa kanilang mga pamilya (We don’t just give them food credits. We also teach them the importance of preparing cheap but nutritious food for their family),” he said during the cook-off challenge held at the Aguilar Sports Complex.

Under the WGP, eligible food-poor households receive PHP3,000 in monthly food credits, coupled with regular nutrition education sessions that focus on balanced diets, proper meal preparation, and smart food budgeting.

Gatchalian emphasized that the nutrition education session is a key component of the WGP’s social and behavioral change strategy, ensuring that food assistance leads to long-term improvements in household nutrition.

“Itong (cook-off) ay selebrasyon ng kanilang mga natutunan over the years of nutrition education sessions kung saan ipinamamalas nila yung kaalaman nila sa food groups – yung go, grow, and glow. Importante kasi na hindi lamang natin sila binibigyan ng food credits, kundi binabago natin yung kanilang behavior o yung kanilang kaalaman sa pamamagitan ng ganitong activities (The cook-off is a celebration of what they learned over the years of nutrition education sessions, where they showcased their knowledge in food groups – the go, grow and glow. It is important that we change their behavior or their knowledge through this kind of activity),” the DSWD chief said.

During the cook-off challenge, the top five provincial-level winners from the NCR competed for the regional championship.

The five cook-off challengers, who came from different barangays in Quezon City and Tondo, Manila, prepared unique dishes such as dinuguang puso ng saging, calderetang tambakol, seafood pinangat, kare-kareng bangus, and tortang kalabasa with daing flakes.

With a score of 94 percent, Kusinera Cristina Dakendek and Assistant Kusinera Rosalie Mata of Barangay Bahay Pag-asa, Quezon City were hailed as NCR regional champions for their dinuguang puso ng saging.

They received PHP10,000 in cash, livelihood grants under the DSWD’s Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP), and a Masflex cookware set.

Dakendek thanked President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and the entire DSWD for reaching out to poor Filipino families like their household, and bringing government programs to them.

“Thank you, thank you so much lalo at higit sa lahat, sa DSWD at Walang Gutom Program, at yung may akda nito na si President Marcos. Thank you po sa ganitong patimpalak dahil nakakasama po ang mahihirap na kagaya ko. Hindi po ito maliit na halaga, napaka laking halaga po nito para sa akin. Sana po ganito na binababaan ninyo yung mga nasa laylayan na nangangailangan ng tulong (Thank you so much, to the DSWD and the WGP, especially to the author of this activity, President Marcos. Thak you for this contest, for including poor families like me. The prize is not a small amount for me; it is a large one. I hope this goes on, how you help those on the fringes of society),” she said.

The dishes were judged by Chefs Marky Bartolome, Regina Patricia Cojuangco-Gonzales, Rolando Laudico, Connh Crus, and Rafael John Maclang.

The “Walang Gutom Kusinero: Cook-Off Challenge” is one of the advocacy strategies of the DSWD to promote nutrition education, sustainable food practices, and informed food choices among food-poor families, in support of the Marcos administration’s goal to reduce involuntary hunger nationwide. (PNA)