Former US President Jimmy Carter once said, “The measure of society is found in how they treat their weakest and most helpless citizens.”
Without a doubt, the food poor is one of the weakest and vulnerable groups in any country. Hunger weakens the heart, dampens hope, and brings a feeling of desolation.
The household of Tatay Anselmo “Emong” Rosas from Tondo, Manila was among the food-poor families that qualified as beneficiaries of the Walang Gutom Program (WGP) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
Although Tatay Emong sells tinapa or smoked fish, his meager income is not enough to feed a family of 10, comprising his wife, child, and grandchildren.
It was indeed a blessing when the Rosas family became beneficiaries of the WGP of the DSWD in 2023.
“Ito naman pong Walang Gutom Program napakalaking bagay po sakin to. Tanong nyo po kung bakit? Sa dami ng apo ko, hindi na po kami kinakapos kasi meron talagang pandugtong, talagang ginhawa po ako,” Tatay Emong narrated to the #Kwento ng Pag-Asa at Pagbabago (#KPAP), the award winning online documentary program of the DSWD.
As the breadwinner of his family, Tatay Emong shared how hard it is to provide for their basic needs especially now that he is a senior citizen.
He continued: “Kasi sa totoo lang ako lang po ang ano ang breadwinner. Ayan nagtitinda po eh sa kasalukuyan dati kahit linggo nagtitinda ako. Kaya lang may edad na po ako sisyenta’y tres anyos na po ako.”
The WGP, originally called Food Stamp Program, is a brainchild of DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian who wanted to create an innovative program to help those clamoring for sufficient food and finally end hunger. This is also aligned with the objective of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr to achieve zero hunger in the Philippines before his term ends in 2028.
Choked with emotions, Tatay Emong expressed his appreciation for the program and for the DSWD, tearfully telling the #KPAP team, “(ang) DSWD po napakalaking bagay. Marami na ‘kong pinagdaanang presidente pero eto at ngayon ko lang talaga ano to naramdaman ‘yong talagang tulong ng DSWD. Sobrang tindi.”
Most often, the poor and the hungry would say they do not feel the presence of the government and even their progress are not being reported.
Unknown to Tatay Emong, his words of gratitude were a testament to the breakthroughs of the WGP and an affirmation of the DSWD’s arduous work in bringing government program and services closer to the people.
The WGP, as Tatay Emong said, bridges the food poor with access to sufficient and nutritious food with the food credits provided as grants.
With a monthly food credit worth Php3,000, Tatay Emong and the rest of the WGP beneficiaries are now able to buy food for their families. But more than the means to purchase food, the WGP boosts the beneficiaries’ knowledge and morale, teaching them what good and nutritious food is through the conduct of the nutrition education sessions (NES).
For Tatay Emong, the WGP also gave him the opportunity to showcase his cooking prowess and become the National Capital Region’s (NCR) first regional Walang Gutom Cook-Off Challenge winner. This friendly competition among WGP beneficiaries was introduced to promote cooking good, affordable, and nutritious food which they learned from the NES.
Combining both his experience as a tinapa vendor and what he learned from the NES, Tatay Emong won the cook-off with a presentation of his own version of sinigang, a well-loved dish among Filipinos.
Tatay Emong’s ‘Sinigang na Tinapa’ emerged as the best in the NCR contest and he will soon compete with other regional winners for the National Walang Gutom Cook-Off challenge.
The inspiring story of Tatay Emong did not go unnoticed.
Secretary Gatchalian visited the Rosas family in Tondo and shared a meal with them, along with Undersecretary Eduardo Punay and Asst. Secretary Baldr Bringas of the Innovations and Program Development Group (IPDG).
Tatay Emong happily cooked his winning dish for them to feast on.
With much gusto, the DSWD chief noted the uniqueness of the dish and jokingly asked Tatay Emong “gusto ko lang makacheck, yung go, glow, at grow ba yan?”, in reference to the lessons they learned from the NES, to which the regional cook-off winner confidently answered with “sama sama na po (sa sinigang).”
With his recent win, Tatay Emong continues to strive hard to adequately provide for his family by making and selling tinapa, with the support of the WGP. More than that, Tatay Emong also has his eyes set on doing his best for the upcoming national cook-off competition.
Asked if he will compete with his winning ‘sinigang’ dish, Tatay Emong said, “hindi, medyo nag iisip pa po,” which meant he is preparing well for the competition.
Indeed, from being food-hungry to becoming a winner is definitely a go, glow, grow moment for Tatay Emong. (GDVF)
