Manila: The city government has institutionalized its feeding program for preschoolers in public daycare centers, ensuring consistent support with an initial budget of PHP22 million. The initiative, dubbed the Food for Early Education Development (FEED) program, was formalized through an ordinance authored by Councilor Frances Grace Parcon-Torres and approved by the Sangguniang Panlungsod during its regular session on Wednesday.

According to Philippines News Agency, one of the main reasons for proposing this ordinance was to secure a dedicated budget, preventing reliance on supplemental funding. For the school year 2024-2025, the program aims to benefit 10,099 development center learners. Councilor Parcon-Torres highlighted that the budget was pegged at PHP22 million, with additional contributions coming from the private sector.

A notable aspect of the ordinance is the involvement of parents in preparing meals for the learners. The food must comply with a cycle menu and adhere to the standards set by the supplementary feeding program (SFP) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development in Western Visayas (DSWD-6). The City Health, through the Iloilo City Nutrition Center, provides technical assistance to ensure compliance with these standards.

The FEED program will complement the DSWD-6’s SFP, which is scheduled to run for 120 days, or five days a week. An agreement for the next school year’s implementation was signed last month between DSWD-6 and the city government. At the beginning of the school year, DSWD will allocate PHP22.83 million to the city government to provide daily meals to 7,611 children aged three to five years.

In a previous interview, Iloilo City social welfare development officer Teresa Gelogo stated that the city government plans to sustain the feeding program throughout the entire 10-month period when the target children are in the centers.