Gov’t expands school-based feeding program

The Philippine government on Wednesday launched the expansion of the School-Based Feeding Program (SBFP) amid a nationwide rise in the stunting rate among children.

“We have a feeding program before but it was limited because we still had to determine who was undernourished, who was not eating properly, and therefore unable to study well,” President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said in Filipino during his speech.

“We should no longer have to choose who will receive assistance and who is excluded from the feeding program,” he added.

Under the revamped SBFP, all kindergarten and Grade 1 students are set to receive nutritious meals, including hot meals and milk, regardless of their nutritional status. Severely wasted and wasted students in Grades 2 through 6 will also receive nutritional support.

“We know that one reason young people are sometimes unable to study well is because they do not have enough to eat,” Mr. Marcos said.

“We have removed that problem, so we can be sure that all students who go to school no longer have to worry about their next meal,” he added. “The government will provide the assistance, and the government will provide the food.”

Education Secretary Juan Edgardo “Sonny” M. Angara noted that the expansion marks a historical first for the feeding program.

“This is historical… This is the first time that [it will run] throughout the whole school cycle, meaning the whole school year, 180 days minimum, the children will be fed,” he told reporters in Filipino during an interview.

“Under the Marcos administration, the school feeding program has really expanded,” he added.

Data from the Department of Science and Technology – Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST-FNRI) showed that the stunting rate among children under five has reached 25.3%, up by 1.7% in 2023.

The agency further underscored that stunting affects 18.9% of school-age children between five and 10 years old, and 21.4% of those aged between 10 and 19 years old.

18.6% of school-age children are likewise underweight, with prevalence rates up to 24% in regions such as the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and the Zamboanga Peninsula.

The Department of Education (DepEd) has allocated P25.6 billion for SBFP in School Year 2026-2027, up from P11.8 billion in the previous year. It is expected to benefit 4.63 million learners nationwide. — Almira Louise S. Martinez