National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) Secretary Lope Santos III on Friday praised the Department of Education (DepEd) and Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for their programs geared toward the provision of nutritional services to children during the joint Technical Action Officers - Technical Working Group meetings of the government and basic sectors.

“Education Secretary and Vice President Sara Duterte and Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian have achieved great strides in leading their respective departments in the sustained and expanded implementation of their agency’s respective feeding programs under the Masustansyang Pagkain para sa Batang Pilipino Act,” Secretary Santos said.

DepEd reported that P11.7 billion will be utilized this year for the School-Based Feeding Program (SBFP) that aims to improve classroom attendance and the nutritional status of undernourished schoolchildren. The agency will provide nutritious food products and milk to around 1.7 million children from Kindergarten to Grade 6 for 200 days in School Year 2024-2025. In the previous year, DepEd invested P5.7 billion to the SBFP which benefited 1.7 million learners for 120 days.

On the other hand, P4 billion has been allocated for the Supplemental Feeding Program of the DSWD in 2024. This nutrition-specific program also provides food and fresh milk for 120 days to children enrolled in local government-run Child Development Centers and Supervised Neighborhood Play.

Secretary Santos added that, aside from the health and education benefits to children, the feeding programs also generate livelihood and employment opportunities in agriculture, specifically in the local dairy and food-processing industries.

Health and nutrition, education, and employment are among the major indicators in the multi-dimensional poverty index and are key to addressing poverty in the country.

“NAPC will continue its work and close collaboration with other national government agencies in its whole-of-nation approach to help ensure every Filipino’s fundamental rights toward achieving single-digit poverty rates in line with the Marcos administration’s vision of a prosperous Bagong Pilipinas,” the anti-poverty chief said.