“Through LGU-led implementation, we are maximizing the capacity of local governments to reach children who need assistance more quickly,” Education Secretary Sonny Angara said.
Bayugan's latest nutritional assessment showed 997 undernourished learners during School Year 2024-2025, including 189 classified as severely wasted and 808 as wasted.
The agreement comes as DepEd expands the scope of the feeding program under Republic Act No. 11037, or the Masustansyang Pagkain para sa Batang Pilipino Act, which institutionalized school feeding and nutrition interventions in public schools.
Angara recently issued updated guidelines governing the program, including a policy requiring a gradual shift toward freshly prepared hot meals for beneficiaries. The department aims to achieve full hot-meal coverage nationwide by 2030.
For fiscal year 2026, DepEd has adopted a universal feeding approach covering all incoming kindergarten and Grade 1 learners, alongside undernourished pupils up to Grade 6.
The department said the Bayugan agreement serves as a pilot model for future partnerships with local governments as it seeks to accelerate the implementation of the expanded feeding program across the country.
Education officials argue that improving student nutrition is critical to addressing broader learning challenges, citing data showing that feeding interventions help reduce severe malnutrition while improving school attendance, classroom participation and learner retention.
By decentralizing implementation to local governments, DepEd hopes to sustain nutrition support beyond short-term feeding activities and integrate it into long-term efforts to improve student health and learning outcomes.###
