BUZZ BEAT MEDIA

Lawmakers signaled continued confidence in Education Secretary Sonny Angara’s nutrition reforms as the Senate-approved 2026 education budget delivers a sharp funding increase, enabling the Marcos administration to expand universal and targeted school feeding — a key factor in helping resolve the country’s persistent early literacy challenges.

 With PhP28.66 billion allocation —a sharp increase from PhP11.78B in 2025, the Senate version raises overall SBFP coverage to 4.49 million learners next year and extends feeding duration to 200 days. It also added 45-day feeding for 604,134 JHS and 200,663 SHS wasted and severely wasted learners, and 30-day feeding for 7,276 adolescent pregnant learners.

Aligned with the vision of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to prioritize early childhood care and development initiatives, the SBFP expansion builds on reforms already underway, including universal feeding for all Kindergarten and Grade 1 learners and continued targeted support for severely wasted and wasted Grade 2 to 6 learners.“Kita namin sa mga bata at sa mga kwento ng ating mga guro na mas gising, mas masigla, mas handang makinig ang mga mag-aaral basta may laman ang kanilang tiyan. Iyan ang pinaka-pruweba na gumagana ang programa,” Angara said.  

“May datos at may kwento. Nakita ito ng Pangulo at nagkaisa ang Senado at Kamara,” he added. “Kapag nakikita mong bumababa ang bilang ng severely wasted, alam mong tama ang direksyon.”
Under Angara’s watch, DepEd began implementing a broader SBFP for SY 2025–2026, starting with the inclusion of all Kindergarten learners—not just undernourished ones—as part of a shift toward universal early nutrition.  

The program provided hot meals and fortified food products to Kindergarten and Grade 1 pupils and severely wasted and wasted Grade 2 to 6 learners, a move backed by early gains in the field. Previous data showed that the number of severely wasted Kindergarten children dropped from 113,451 to 47,281 in a year.

Angara also oversaw key improvements in DepEd’s expanded SBFP infrastructure, with more than 74 central kitchens now operating nationwide and over 44,000 schools reinforcing their Gulayan sa Paaralan initiatives, which supply fresh vegetables for meals and strengthen hands-on nutrition education.
For 2026, DepEd secured funding for 219 central kitchens and new mobile kitchen units, and is enlisting more LGUs to manage direct implementation in their respective jurisdictions.

Angara said the 2026 budget allows DepEd to sustain the mix of universal and targeted feeding.
“Pinapalakas natin ang pundasyon sa Kinder at Grade 1, pero hindi rin natin iniiwan ang pinaka-nanganganib sa mas matataas na baitang,” he said. “Kung gusto nating manatili ang mga bata sa eskwela, kailangan nating siguraduhin na may laman ang tiyan at lakas ang katawan.”

*All Photos from DePed