THE World Food Programme’s “State of School Feeding Worldwide 2022” report revealed ssthat only an estimated 27 percent or 3.5 million students in the Philippines benefited from government-led school meal programs in 2022.
While the figure also represents a significant increase from the 16 percent recorded in 2021 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic – where only 2.3 million students benefited from feeding programs – it is still only a little more than a quarter of schoolchildren being covered.
Budget is the main problem. But local government units could certainly help supplement the funds for feeding schoolchildren, especially after the Department of Education’s school feeding program was cut by half in 2022. From P6 billion in 2021, the 2022 allocation for the program dropped to P3.3 billion.
School feeding is a crucial intervention to ensure that children, especially those from poorer families, fulfill their nutritional requirements. If children eat nutritious food, they can develop properly, and they will have adequate protection against diseases. Every local government unit has an incentive in ensuring this happens to ensure a healthy community.
Vice President and DepEd Secretary Sara Duterte has herself appealed for help from local government units to expand the implementation of the school meal program.
The World Food Programme considers school feeding one of the largest and most widespread social safety nets in the world, and emphasized that school meals are a significant tool for the government to address malnutrition.
Local government units have been asking the national government for a greater role in nation-building. This is a great opportunity for LGUs to pitch in and help in making a difference in the fight against malnutrition.
