THE BICAMERAL conference committee on the proposed 2026 national budget has approved Senator Francis ‘Kiko’ Pangilinan’s proposal to expand the School-Based Feeding Program of the Department of Education, including a larger milk component and direct sourcing of food from Filipino farmers, fishers, and dairy producers under the Sagip Saka Act.

Lawmakers from both chambers of Congress on Saturday night approved a nearly ₱1-trillion budget for DepEd, more than doubling the allocation for school feeding to ₱25.7 billion from ₱11.7 billion under the National Expenditure Program.

Pangilinan said the expanded program addresses two urgent needs at once: improving child nutrition while ensuring a stable market for local food producers.

“This is a chance to hit two urgent needs with one program: feed our children properly, and provide farmers and fishers a stable market for their produce and catch,” he said.

Under the approved budget, the School-Based Feeding Program will be extended from 120 to 200 school days, including 30 days dedicated to milk feeding. The program aims to improve the nutrition of kindergarten to Grade 1 learners, while also covering Grade 2 to Grade 6 students classified as wasted or severely wasted.

Pangilinan emphasized that the program’s effectiveness hinges on direct procurement from accredited farmers’ and fishers’ cooperatives, as mandated by Republic Act No. 11321, or the Sagip Saka Act.

“The money should go straight to producers, not middlemen,” he said.

The milk feeding component will be implemented by the National Dairy Authority and the Philippine Carabao Center, with fresh milk sourced directly from local dairy farmers instead of imported powdered milk.

“We are investing in our children’s health, in the incomes of our farms, and in the country’s food security,” Pangilinan said.
“We are fulfilling the promise of Sagip Saka: feed the child, support the farmer and the fisher,” he added.