Exploratory Analysis of the Linkages and Synergies between the Walang Gutom Program and Other Adaptive Social Protection Programmes and Policies in the Philippines.

This study explores how a social protection programme, the Walang Gutom Program Program, can improve management of climate risks and strengthen climate resilience in the Philippines by strengthening its integration to the national Adaptive Social Protection (ASP) system. Through a review of the literature and background documents, extensive stakeholder consultations, and a quantitative analysis of household data sets, the study documents the opportunities and challenges of realising this goal. The Walang Gutom Program is a food-based social protection programme that addresses food poverty and hunger. The firsy pilot of The Walang Gutom Program was implemented in selected provinces between December 2023 and July 2024, providing food vouchers to households and enabling them to buy fresh food from selected retailers, complemented with nutrition education. While the first The Walang Gutom Program pilot had a limited impact, the study shows how it could play a more significant role in complementing the existing social protection system by filling in the gaps in its coverage. The Walang Gutom Program should also specifically target households that are lacking resilience. The key channels for The Walang Gutom Program to strengthen ASP involve linkages with other social protection programmes through a coherent exit strategy and implementation of convergence between programmes, anticipatory action and shock responsiveness. Better institutional coordination, integration of climate objectives and information into programmes are recommended as system level measures. Making adjustments to delivery systems to enable rapid shock response, enhancing interoperability and piggybacking on recent developments such as the Philippine National ID System (PhilSys) provide further opportunities to strengthen the the ASP system.