Manila: All 720 students of a secondary school in Matuguinao, Samar, are beneficiaries of a free daily breakfast, while learners from remote village areas receive a complimentary lunch funded by the fifth-class municipality.

According to Philippines News Agency, the initiative, named ‘Edukain’-a portmanteau of ‘education’ and ‘kain’ (Filipino for ‘eating’)-aims to promote school attendance by running until the end of the academic year. Arlyn Alegria, head of the Matuguinao municipal social welfare and development office (MSWDO), explained that the breakfast program targets students at Matuguinao National High School, while the lunch service is designated for those residing in distant villages.

Alegria noted that the program’s expenses are minimal. The MSWDO provides a sack of rice and receives some cash for side dishes from the office of Mayor Aran Boller. In a phone interview with the Philippine News Agency, she mentioned that the breakfast menu consists of arroz caldo, a rice porridge flavored with chicken, glutinous rice, ginger, garlic, and onions.

For the lunch meals provided to selected students, the local government plans to collaborate with a dietician from the provincial government to ensure balanced nutrition. Additionally, during the program’s launch on September 22, students were given tumblers to encourage hydration by bringing drinking water to school.

Matuguinao, a fifth-class town in the Samar province, has a population of over 7,000 people and is located 105 kilometers from Tacloban City, the regional capital. The town’s accessibility has improved significantly, now only a 30-minute journey from the main road of Samar Island, compared to a previous four-hour boat ride from Gandara town before the completion of a road project funded through the Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan program.