As the Philippines begins its National Children's Month, lawmakers are turning their attention to a simple question with a big impact on learning: will every hungry child get a meal at school next year? The government's proposed 2027 budget includes ₱17.8 billion for feeding programmes in public schools and child development centres, House Minority Leader Marcelino Libanan said on 2 November, the Daily Tribune reported.

Libanan called nutrition "an essential investment in our children's future," noting that hunger can be a barrier to learning. The need is real. A Social Weather Stations survey found that 20.3 percent of Filipino families went hungry involuntarily at least once in the second quarter of 2026.

Two programmes, one goal

Under the proposal, ₱11.4 billion would go to the Department of Education's School-Based Feeding Program, which serves kindergarten pupils and learners in Grades 1 to 6 who are wasted or stunted, along with children at risk of dropping out, indigenous learners and children from low-income homes. Another ₱6.4 billion would go to the Department of Social Welfare and Development's Supplementary Feeding Program, which feeds preschoolers in public child development centres and in supervised neighbourhood play groups.

Building on a record year

The debate follows the biggest school feeding effort in the country's history. This school year, the Department of Education set aside a record ₱25.6 billion to feed 4.63 million learners for 200 days, up from 120 days the year before, GMA News reported in March. Kindergarten and Grade 1 pupils now receive meals regardless of their nutrition status.

The 2027 proposal is smaller. Its baseline for school feeding is ₱11.43 billion for 3.69 million students, PTV News reported in September, when the department also asked Congress for ₱40.33 billion more to expand feeding together with health, mental health and other student services. "For next year, we aim to build on the progress we have achieved over the past four years," Education Secretary Sonny Angara told lawmakers. Congress will decide the final figures in the coming weeks.

Why it matters

A child who arrives at school hungry struggles to listen, learn and grow. Regular, nutritious school meals help children stay in class and give families one less worry each day. The Philippines has shown how quickly feeding can scale up; the choices made in this budget will decide whether millions of children keep that daily meal.

Learn more

• Read the Daily Tribune report, the PTV News report on the Department of Education's 2027 budget, and GMA News on this year's record programme.

Sources: Daily Tribune, "P17.8B proposed to combat malnutrition among schoolchildren," 2 November 2026; PTV News, "DepEd mulls proposed P975B budget for 2027," 8 September 2026; GMA News, "DepEd earmarks record P25.6B for school feeding program," 24 March 2026.

How you can help

These organizations work to make sure children in the Philippines are well fed:

• Gawad Kalinga's Kusina ng Kalinga runs community kitchens that cook nutritious school meals for Filipino children.
• UNICEF Philippines works with the government to prevent and treat child malnutrition and support mothers and young children.
• World Food Programme supports the Philippines with nutrition, school meals and emergency food assistance after disasters.