The bicameral conference committee on the 2026 national budget has approved Senator Kiko Pangilinan’s push to expand the milk component of the Department of Education’s School-Based Feeding Program, and to source the food directly from Filipino farmers, fishers, and dairy producers under the Sagip Saka Act.
Lawmakers from both Houses of Congress on Saturday evening approved a nearly ₱1-trillion DepEd budget. They more than doubled the school feeding allocation to ₱25.7 billion, up from ₱11.7 billion in the National Expenditure Program.
“Pagkakataon ito para tugunan sa isang programa ang kambal na kagyat na pangangailangan.”
“Pagkakataon ito para tugunan sa isang programa ang kambal na kagyat na pangangailangan: pakainin nang maayos ang batang Pilipino, at bigyan ang mga magsasaka at mangingisda ng matatag na merkado para sa kanilang ani at huli,” Pangilinan said.
With the increased budget, the School-Based Feeding Program has been extended from 120 to 200 school days, including 30 days of the milk feeding program. This initiative aims to enhance nutrition for kindergarten to Grade 1 learners, while also supporting Grade 2 to Grade 6 learners who are wasted to severely wasted.
Pangilinan said that the program’s impact depends on direct procurement from accredited farmers’ and fishers’ cooperatives, as provided under Republic Act 11321 or the Sagip Saka Act. “Diretso agad sa mga magsasaka at mangingisda ang pera, hindi sa middlemen,” the veteran legislator said.
The milk component of the School-Based Feeding Program will be implemented by the National Dairy Authority and the Philippine Carabao Center, with fresh milk purchased directly from local dairy farmers, instead of imported powdered milk.
“Namumuhunan tayo sa kalusugan ng ating kabataan, sa kita ng ating mga sakahan, at sa seguridad ng pagkain ng bayan.”
“Namumuhunan tayo sa kalusugan ng ating kabataan, sa kita ng ating mga sakahan, at sa seguridad ng pagkain ng bayan,” the seasoned lawmaker noted.
“Tinutupad natin ang pangako ng Sagip Saka: Pakainin ang bata, itaguyod ang magsasaka at mangingisda,” he concluded.
