President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday launched the nationwide expansion of the Department of Education's (DepEd) School-Based Feeding Program (SBFP), which aims to address worsening child malnutrition and improve the academic performance of public school learners.
The national kickoff of the expanded feeding initiative and the Milk Feeding Activity was held at Pulilan Central School in Bulacan, where Marcos was joined by Education Secretary Sonny Angara and Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr.
During the event, the officials served nutritious meals and milk to learners and distributed school bags and storybooks to children.
The expanded School-Based Feeding Program comes as the government confronts a resurgence in child malnutrition and persistent concerns over stunting among Filipino children, which health experts say continues to affect learning outcomes, physical growth, and long-term development.
Marcos said the government is broadening the program to ensure that all Kindergarten and Grade 1 learners in public schools nationwide receive free, nutritious meals while in school.
Under the expanded initiative, he said, families will no longer have to worry about providing meals for their young children during school hours.
"Lahat ng mga pumapasok na nag-aaral ay hindi na kailangan alalahanin ang kanilang kakainin. Hindi na aalalahanin ang kanilang mga pamilya pamahalaan na ang tutulong at magpapakain," the President said.
Marcos emphasized that the government will move away from selecting only a limited number of beneficiaries, saying every Kindergarten and Grade 1 pupil enrolled in public schools will receive nutritious food.
"Lahat na lang ng mga pumapasok ay papakainin namin. Para tiyak na tiyak na lahat ng ating mga kabataan ay handa na mag-aral, makapag-aral ng mabuti at hindi inaaalala ang kanilang kakainin," he added.
Education Secretary Angara said the expanded feeding program forms part of the administration's broader strategy to improve learners' health, attendance, and academic performance by addressing hunger inside classrooms.
The Department of Agriculture is also supporting the initiative by helping secure a stable supply of nutritious food for the program, while the milk-feeding component aims to improve children's nutritional status during their formative years.
