House earmarks P17.8B for malnutrition

The national government is pushing for a P17.8-billion budget to provide food assistance to undernourished children in public schools and daycare centers as part of efforts to address the country’s lingering malnutrition problem.

House Minority Leader Rep. Marcelino Libanan said the proposed 2027 National Expenditure Program (NEP) allocates P11.4 billion for the School-Based Feeding Program (SBFP) and another P6.4 billion for the Supplementary Feeding Program (SFP).

Libanan made the announcement at the start of National Children’s Month, which the government observes every November to highlight the importance of protecting children’s rights and promoting their health, nutrition and overall well-being.

The SBFP provides nutritious meals to incoming kindergarten learners and pupils in Grades 1 to 6 who have been identified as wasted, severely wasted, stunted or severely stunted. It also covers learners at risk of dropping out, as well as children from indigenous communities and indigent households.

The SFP, meanwhile, provides nutritious meals to preschool children enrolled in public child development centers and children participating in supervised neighborhood play activities.

The two programs are administered by the Department of Education and the Department of Social Welfare and Development, respectively.

“As members of Congress, we have a duty to ensure that public funds are spent wisely and that people know where their money is going, especially when it comes to programs that directly affect social welfare,” Libanan said.

He said Congress has a responsibility not only to scrutinize government spending but also to inform citizens about how public funds are being used, particularly for programs that directly benefit vulnerable sectors.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, adopted on 20 November 1989, recognizes every child’s right to health, adequate nutrition, education and protection.

“We must treat proper nutrition as an essential investment in our children’s future. A child who goes to school hungry faces greater difficulty concentrating, participating in class and keeping up with lessons,” Libanan said.