President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday ordered the expansion of the government’s school feeding program to ensure that all students receive nutritious meals, saying that hunger should never prevent children from learning.

Speaking during the rollout of the National Feeding and Milk-Feeding Program at Pulilan Central School in Bulacan, Marcos said the government had previously limited the food assistance to selected beneficiaries but has shifted to a broader approach.

“We had a feeding program before but it was limited because we had to determine who was undernourished and who was not eating well enough to study effectively. We realized that the better approach is to feed everyone instead of deciding who should and should not be included in the program. That is what we have done, as Secretary Sonny Angara mentioned,” the President said.

Marcos noted that hunger and malnutrition remain major reasons why many students struggle in school.

“This is very important to me. We know that one reason many young people are unable to study well is because they do not have enough to eat. We have removed that burden so that every child who goes to school no longer has to worry about where their next meal will come from. They no longer have to worry about whether their family can provide food because the government will help and the government will provide their meals,” he said.

Malnutrition remains a major public health concern in the country, with stunting affecting an estimated 23.6 to 25.3 percent of children under five.

To address the problem, the Department of Education has allocated P25.7 billion for the School-Based Feeding Program, which will run for 200 school days.

Marcos said the initiative forms part of the administration’s broader education reforms.

“We are introducing many changes to improve our education system so that we can prepare our young people for their future and for the future of the Philippines,” he said.

Under the expanded School-Based Feeding Program, all Grade 1 learners nationwide will receive meals, while all Kindergarten and Grades 1 to 6 pupils identified as severely wasted or wasted will continue to receive hot meals, nutritious food products and milk.

The Philippines continues to face a serious malnutrition challenge. The country ranks 66th out of 123 nations in the Global Hunger Index, with a “moderate” hunger score of 13.4. It also ranks fifth in the East Asia and Pacific region for stunting and is among the top 10 countries worldwide with the highest number of stunted children.