SENATOR Bam Aquino is urging the government to increase its funding to combat child malnutrition, asserting that the current level of support is insufficient.
Aquino said the government needs to allocate an additional P3 billion to extend the Department of Education's school feeding program from 120 to 150 days.
This would benefit three million “severely wasted” and “wasted” Filipino children.
He made the call during a Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on Thursday, September 18.
“Napag-usapan namin nitong Huwebes sa hearing… para sa Nutrition Program, P3 bilyon lang ang kailangan para madagdagan ang feeding program para sa 3 milyong severely wasted na bata,” Aquino said.
He emphasized that the P3 billion needed is a small amount compared to the trillions of pesos lost to corruption.
“I mean, ilagay natin sa konteksto. Para madagdagan ang feeding program para sa 3 milyong severely wasted at wasted na bata, mula 120 hanggang 150 days, P3 bilyon lang ang kailangan. Sa totoo lang, kulang pa nga 'yan, at trilyon, posibleng trilyon na ang ninanakaw sa atin,” Aquino said.
The senator stressed that malnutrition is a significant threat to the future of the nation's youth and the country as a whole. He believes that the welfare of children must be a top government priority.
“Ang sinasabi namin, ito dapat ang prayoridad. May pagkakataon tayo sa nangyayari sa ating bansa ngayon na tunay na pondohan nang maayos ang mga magagandang programa,” he added.
According to the Second Congressional Commission on Education, one in four Filipino children under the age of five suffers from stunting. From 2000 to 2020, 26.7% of children were affected, with long-term consequences on their learning and life success. Experts say stunting is the result of long-term malnutrition and affects not only physical growth but also cognitive development, health, and productivity.
Seven years have passed since the “Masustansyang Pagkain Para sa Batang Pilipino Act” was signed into law, a measure Aquino authored.
However, he says its implementation remains limited due to a lack of funding.
For 2025, the DepEd’s School-Based Feeding Program has a budget of P11.77 billion. There is a proposal to increase this to P14 billion in 2026 to cover more than 15 million children from kindergarten through sixth grade.
