As the program received its historic budget allocation for the current fiscal year as well.
Beginning School Year 2026-2027, the Department of Education (DepEd) will roll out its largest School-Based Feeding Program (SBFP).
Allocated a historic PHP25.6 billion, the fund is more than double the PHP11.8 billion it received in 2025.
It aims to be a lifeline for a record-breaking 4.63 million students starting the next academic year, which will open in June 2026, more than the 3.39 million students that benefited in 2025.
It is a substantial increase, as the program started from 1.67 million students in 2023 to 2.11 million in 2024.
Aside from an increase in students, the number of feeding days will be expanded to 200 from the previous 120 days.
In 2022, the program’s budget was only PHP3.3 billion, which lasted for only 30 feeding days for 3.48 million students.
Under the SBFP, it is targeted that there will be universal feeding for all Kindergarten to Grade 1 pupils, undernourished students in Grade 2 to Grade 6, pregnant adolescent students, and vulnerable and marginalized students beyond Grade 6.
By extending the feeding program to 200 days, the government says it is looking to ensure that “nutrition is part of the foundation of education for the long-term learning of young people.”
According to Secretary Angara, the program’s goal is more than nutrition, as it also also aims to “restore the dignity and develop the educational potential of every Filipino child.”