All public kindergarten students across the country will now receive free daily meals as part of the Department of Education’s (DepEd) move to combat early childhood malnutrition through its expanded School-Based Feeding Program (SBFP).
Previously focused on undernourished learners, the program now includes all kindergarten pupils to ensure that no child starts their learning journey on an empty stomach.
“Kapag may sapat na nutrisyon ang mga bata, mas madali silang matuto. Hindi natin kailangan hintayin pang magutom o magkasakit sila bago kumilos,” said Education Secretary Sonny Angara in an ABS-CBN News report.
DepEd noted that around 3.4 million children—comprising kindergarten and undernourished Grade 1 to 6 students—will benefit from the initiative. The agency has proposed a P14-billion budget to sustain and expand the program in 2026.
According to the Food and Nutrition Research Institute, malnutrition remains a serious issue: 18.1% of girls and 15.8% of boys aged 0 to 5 were found to be malnourished in 2021. Among children aged 5 to 10, 19.2% of girls and 22.2% of boys were also affected.
Through SBFP, DepEd reported a significant improvement—severely wasted kindergarten pupils dropped from 113,451 to 47,281. Regions II and XI recorded an 80% decline in undernourishment among Kinder students.
“Bawat magulang, school officials, LGUs, at barangay health worker ay may papel para siguraduhing hindi lang basta nakakakain ang mga bata, kundi talagang nabubusog, inaalagaan, at nabibigyan ng lakas para umunlad,” Angara emphasized.
DepEd plans to extend the program to include Grade 1 to 3 students and strengthen partnerships with local farmers through home-grown feeding models.
Meanwhile, the Department of Health echoed the urgency of addressing malnutrition, urging local leaders to tailor interventions to their communities’ needs.
