With record budget allocation, DepEd expands School-Based Feeding Program to reach more learners

Wazzup Pilipinas!? 

 

MAKATI CITY, 8 January 2026 -- Backed by a record budget allocation of Php1.015-trillion for basic education, the Department of Education (DepEd) will significantly expand the School-Based Feeding Program (SBFP) in 2026, targeting around 4.6 million learners nationwide as part of the government’s push to address malnutrition and improve school participation. 

With the strong support of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and the Congress, the Department has secured Php25.7 billion for the expanded SBFP, allowing wider coverage across early grades and nutritionally at-risk learners in higher levels.  

Under the expanded program, DepEd will provide nutritious meals to about 1.52 million kindergarten learners and 1.79 million Grade 1 learners for 200 feeding days. An additional 1.18 million learners in Grades 2 to 6 who are classified as wasted or severely wasted will also receive meals for the same duration.  

“Malinaw po sa datos na hindi makakapag-aral nang maayos ang bata kung gutom siya. Kaya pinalalawak natin ang School-Based Feeding Program para mas maraming mag-aaral ang mabigyan ng sapat na nutrisyon, lalo na sa mga unang baitang at sa mga pinaka-nangangailangan,” Education Secretary Sonny Angara said. “Higit sa pagbibigay ng pagkain, layunin ng programa na matulungan ang mga bata na manatili sa paaralan at maging handa sa pagkatuto araw-araw,”

For the first time, the program will also cover around 140,000 nutritionally at-risk, disadvantaged, and vulnerable learners beyond grade 6 including pregnant learners enrolled in public schools, who will receive nutritional support for 180 feeding days.

This component of the program will be implemented in coordination with the Department of Health (DOH), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), integrating maternal and child health support.

The expanded coverage reflects the government’s renewed focus on improving learning readiness by addressing hunger and malnutrition, which continue to affect school attendance, participation, and overall academic performance, particularly among learners from disadvantaged communities.

To improve program targeting and implementation, the Department will roll out the System for Intelligent Growth and Learner Anthropometry (SIGLA), an Artificial Intelligence-enabled platform designed to streamline the collection and validation of learners’ health and nutrition data.  

Local government units may serve as implementing partners through memoranda of agreement, with DepEd encouraging on-the-ground collaboration in program delivery. In providing meals and other learner needs, the Department said preference and priority will be given to locally produced food and refreshments, or Philippine-made products, in line with the Tatak Pinoy Act (Republic Act No. 11981), supporting local producers while ensuring fresh and culturally appropriate food for learners.

Meanwhile, milk feeding under the program will be handled by the National Dairy Authority and the Philippine Carabao Center, supporting both learner nutrition and the local dairy industry.

DepEd said the expanded School-Based Feeding Program underscores the administration’s commitment to making schools not only centers of learning, but also safe and supportive spaces where learners’ basic needs are addressed.

The Price of Progress: Filipino Consumers Fight Back Against New "Green" Power Charges

Wazzup Pilipinas!? 

In the crosshairs of a global climate crisis and a local economic struggle, a new battle line has been drawn in the Philippine energy sector. As the nation attempts a bold pivot toward renewable energy, the very citizens meant to benefit from this transition are sounding an urgent alarm: they simply cannot afford the cost of the future. 

The Breaking Point

For the average Filipino household, electricity bills are more than just a monthly chore—they are a source of "prolonged burden" and "injustice." It is against this backdrop of high power rates that the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has greenlit the Green Energy Auction Allowance (GEA-All) charge. 

Effective this month, this new line item is designed to fund differential payments for renewable energy plants under the government’s auction program. While ERC Chairperson Francis Juan has defended the measure, consumer advocates argue it is one straw too many for the camel’s back. 

A Double Burden on the People

The GEA-All charge does not arrive in a vacuum. Consumers are already paying a Feed-in Tariff Allowance (FiT-All), a uniform charge intended to support renewable energy development. 

Bas Umali, National Coordinator for the consumer welfare group Kuryente.org, has stepped forward as the voice for the millions of affected families. His plea is simple yet desperate: Defer the charge. 

"We understand the long-term benefits of renewable energy, but right now we consumers are seeking immediate relief," Umali states. "We respectfully ask the ERC to consider deferring the implementation of this measure... in consideration of consumers who are already burdened by high electricity prices." 

The Missing Link: The Just Transition Bill

The core of the conflict lies in the way the transition is being handled. Kuryente.org argues that while the government is quick to implement new charges, it has been slower to provide the necessary legal protections for the poor. 

The organization is calling on lawmakers to stop prioritizing new fees and instead focus on the Just Transition Bill.  This critical piece of legislation is designed to:

Protect consumers from skyrocketing prices during the shift to cleaner energy. 

Ensure fairness so that the "green" revolution isn't funded solely on the backs of those who can least afford it. 

Establish transparency and good governance within the energy industry. 

The Call for Justice

As the GEA-All charge begins to appear on monthly statements, the demand for "immediate and concrete measures" to reduce costs grows louder. For Kuryente.org and the consumers they represent, the energy transition must be more than just a shift in technology—it must be a shift toward humanity and affordability. 

The Filipino people are not against a cleaner planet; they are simply asking for the right to a sustainable future that doesn't cost them their present survival. 

The Battle for the Clouds: Can We Save the Philippine Uplands?

Wazzup Pilipinas!? 

High above the bustling, flat palayans of the lowlands lies the true heart of the Philippines—a misty, vertical world of emerald peaks and ancient forests. While many imagine the country as a series of plains, 65% of our land is actually mountainous, serving as the final fortress for iconic species like the Philippine Eagle and the Tamaraw.

But a silent war is being waged in the clouds. As the world’s appetite grows, its forests retreat, replaced by plumes of grey smoke that signal the advance of the plow.

The Scars of Kaingin

For generations, the traditional system of kaingin—slash-and-burn farming—has pockmarked our mountains. Forests are cut and torched to make way for rice, corn, or cassava. Once protected by their sheer inaccessibility, these peaks are now being encroached upon by unregulated agriculture.

The cost of this encroachment is staggering. According to Mariglo Rosaida Laririt of the DENR-BMB, losing these forests means losing nature’s most critical services:

Water Security: Mountains provide the clean water we drink and the irrigation that feeds the plains.

Climate Defense: These forests regulate temperature and act as a natural sponge for flood control.

Biodiversity Loss: Monocropping—planting only one crop like pineapple or coffee—strips the soil of nutrients and destroys the habitats of essential pollinators like bees and butterflies.

The Hidden Danger of Subsidies

In a shocking global revelation, United Nations agencies found that 87% of the USD 540 billion spent on agricultural subsidies are actually harmful to nature and health. In the Philippines, where subsidies averaged PHP 3.36 billion yearly between 2010 and 2015, the money often goes toward chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

While these "external inputs" aim to keep production viable, they create a "chemical romance" with deadly consequences. Fertilizer runoff turns crystal rivers brown, and pesticides indiscriminately kill the very insects needed to grow our food.

A Vision for Sustainable Summits

The tide, however, is beginning to turn. The DENR and Department of Agriculture, in partnership with UNDP-BIOFIN, are pioneering a movement to mainstream Biodiversity-friendly Agricultural Practices (BDFAPs). The goal is a radical reallocation of government funds.

Imagine a future where subsidies don't buy chemicals, but instead support:

Heirloom Grains: Native varieties like the earthy Ulikan or the black Ominio rice are uniquely marketable and found nowhere else on Earth.

Intercropping & Rotation: Moving away from monocultures to diversified ecosystems that restore soil fertility and cushion farmers against price crashes.

Next-Gen Farming: Making agriculture lucrative enough to lure the youth back from call centers to become the new guardians of the land.

The Path Forward

We have 117 million mouths to feed, but we cannot eat the mountains once they are gone. By transforming upland farms into sustainable, agroforestry-based systems, we can generate food without sacrificing the ecological integrity of our islands.

As the mist clears over the Cordilleras, the choice is clear: we can continue to slash and burn, or we can learn to grow in harmony with the heights.