THE Department of Education (DepEd) is set to begin what it described as its “most ambitious” School-based Feeding Program (SBFP) after it was given a record P25.6 billion budget for school year 2026-2027.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Education Secretary Sonny Angara launched the program during a recent visit to the Jose Zurbito Sr. Elementary School in Masbate City.
DepEd will bring the program closer to urban communities through a multiservice school engagement Wednesday at the Batasan Hills National High School in Quezon City. The event will feature a Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Fair for senior high school graduates, a Gulayan sa Paaralan visit, and a lecture for learners on energy conservation to promote responsible energy use.
The funding for school-based feeding, which is double the P11.8 billion allocated in 2025, aims to provide a lifeline to a record 4.63 million learners starting this June.
Angara underscored that the program is about more than nutrition; it is also about restoring the dignity and academic potential of every Filipino child.
“We are fulfilling President Bongbong Marcos’ directive to end the cycle of malnutrition in our schools by giving our learners the health to reach their goals,” Angara said.
Under school year 2026-2027, the SBFP will target the universal feeding of kindergarten to Grade 1 students, undernourished learners in Grades 2 to 6, pregnant adolescent learners, and vulnerable and marginalized learners beyond Grade 6.
DepEd said teachers noted that the consistent meal program has already improved daily attendance and classroom engagement.
The department also said the program has rapidly expanded — from serving 1.67 million students in 2023, to 2.11 million in 2024, and 3.39 million in 2025.
In 2022, the initiative operated on P3.3 billion that covered only 30 feeding days for 3.48 million learners.
The SBFP grew to P5.7 billion in 2023 to cover 120 feeding days, and P11.7 billion in 2024 to cover 175 feeding days.
DepEd said that by extending the feeding to 200 days, the administration is embedding nutrition into the basic education framework, moving beyond short-term relief to guarantee long-term learning readiness.