DepEd to feed 4.6-M learners as school-based feeding expands in 2026

The Department of Education (DepEd) will expand its School-Based Feeding Program (SBFP) in 2026 to cover around 4.6 million learners nationwide, backed by a P25.7-billion allocation under the agency’s record P1.015-trillion budget for basic education.

DepEd said the expanded feeding program aims to address malnutrition and improve school participation, particularly among learners in the early grades and those classified as nutritionally at risk.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara said the expansion reflects the administration’s recognition that hunger remains a major barrier to learning.

“Malinaw po sa datos na hindi makakapag-aral nang maayos ang bata kung gutom siya. Kaya pinalalawak natin ang School-Based Feeding Program para mas maraming mag-aaral ang mabigyan ng sapat na nutrisyon, lalo na sa mga unang baitang at sa mga pinaka-nangangailangan,” Angara said.

(The data clearly show that a child cannot learn properly if they are hungry. That is why we are expanding the School-Based Feeding Program so more learners—especially those in the early grades and those most in need—can receive proper nutrition.)

Under the expanded program, DepEd will provide nutritious meals for 200 feeding days to about 1.52 million kindergarten learners and 1.79 million Grade 1 learners. Another 1.18 million learners in Grades 2 to 6 who are classified as wasted or severely wasted will also receive meals for the same duration.

Angara said the program goes beyond addressing hunger and is meant to support learning readiness and school retention.

“Higit sa pagbibigay ng pagkain, layunin ng programa na matulungan ang mga bata na manatili sa paaralan at maging handa sa pagkatuto araw-araw,” he said.

(Beyond providing food, the program aims to help children stay in school and be ready to learn every day.)

For the first time, DepEd said the feeding program will also cover around 140,000 nutritionally at-risk, disadvantaged, and vulnerable learners beyond Grade 6, including pregnant learners enrolled in public schools, who will receive nutritional support for 180 feeding days.

This expanded component will be implemented in coordination with the Department of Health, Department of Social Welfare and Development, and the Department of the Interior and Local Government, integrating maternal and child health interventions.

To improve targeting and implementation, DepEd will also roll out the System for Intelligent Growth and Learner Anthropometry (SIGLA), an artificial intelligence–enabled platform designed to streamline the collection and validation of learners’ health and nutrition data.

DepEd said local government units may serve as implementing partners through memoranda of agreement, with preference given to locally produced food and Philippine-made products in line with the Tatak Pinoy Act. Milk feeding will be handled by the National Dairy Authority and the Philippine Carabao Center.

The department said the expanded SBFP underscores the administration’s commitment to making schools not only centers of learning, but also safe and supportive spaces where learners’ basic needs are met. — Sherylin Untalan/RF, GMA Integrated News