Manila: Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Friday assured that the 2026 national budget has increased allocations for the expansion of feeding programs in public schools and child development centers (CDCs). "Mahalagang tutukan natin ang kalusugan at nutrisyon ng mga mag-aaral, lalo na't may malalim na ugnayan ito sa kanilang kakayahan (It is important to focus on the health and nutrition of learners, especially since it is deeply related to their skills)," Gatchalian, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Finance, said in a statement.
According to Philippines News Agency, under the 2026 budget, the Department of Education's (DepEd) School-Based Feeding Program (SBFP) will increase the number of feeding days from 120 to 200 this year. The SBFP, expected to benefit 4.6 million learners in 2026, will cover all learners from Kindergarten to Grade 1. Wasted, severely wasted, stunted, and severely stunted learners from Grades 2 to 6 will continue to receive support under the SBFP, which received an allocation of PHP25.7 billion this year.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development's (DSWD) Supplementary Feeding Program (SFP) was allotted PHP9.6 billion under the 2026 national budget, extending feeding days from 120 to 180 and benefiting 1.8 million learners. The program covers children aged 3 to 5 in CDCs and those aged 2 to 4 under the supervised neighborhood play (SNP) program.
