The government is scaling up its supplemental feeding initiatives and rolling out additional nutrition programs aimed at addressing persistent malnutrition and stunting among Filipino children, Malacañang said Thursday.
Palace Press Officer Usec. Claire Castro said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has directed agencies to intensify interventions, including the expansion of child development centers and daycare facilities, alongside broader feeding programs targeting early childhood and school-age learners.
“Hindi ito kahapon lang naging problema. Alam ng Pangulo ang problemang ito,” Castro said, noting that the administration has been pursuing long-term measures to address child nutrition gaps.
She said the Department of Education (DepEd) is extending its school-based feeding program from 120 to 200 feeding days for school years 2026 to 2027. The program covers kindergarten to Grade 1 learners, as well as undernourished students from Grades 2 to 6.
The initiative has been allocated P25.6 billion, expected to benefit around 4.63 million learners nationwide.
Castro added that the government is also expanding nutrition support for pregnant women, adolescent learners, and other vulnerable groups beyond elementary level to strengthen early-life health interventions.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), she said, is implementing complementary programs such as the First 1,000 Days initiative, which focuses on maternal and infant nutrition, and a supplemental feeding program for children aged 3 to 5 that provides meals for up to 180 days.
DSWD is also running the Walang Gutom Program, which provides P3,000 monthly food vouchers to food-insecure households.
According to Castro, these combined efforts are designed to close nutrition gaps that contribute to childhood stunting, which remains a growing concern in the country.
Data from the Food and Nutrition Research Institute of the Department of Science and Technology showed that stunting among children under five rose to 25.3 percent in 2025, underscoring the urgency of sustained nutrition interventions.