The Cebu Provincial School Board is set to implement a 120-day feeding program for school children as part of the Province’s multi-pronged approach in curbing Cebu’s staggering malnutrition rate.
Program Launch and Budget
The program will be launched on July 15, 2026, in the town of Balamban, with a budget of P100 million taken from the Special Education Fund. “Those with higher prevalence in stunted growth are the priority but the plan is really to give to all students,” said Provincial School Board head Christopher “Dong” Baricuatro, during an interview with SunStar Cebu on Monday, July 6.
Meal Distribution and Monitoring
Kindergarten students will receive hot meals once a week while snack packs such as nutribuns, biscuits and other ready-to-eat food items certified by the Department of Science and Technology will be given for the rest of the days. To ensure the program’s effectiveness, the children’s progress will also be monitored by weighing them before, during and after the program. For 26-year-old single mother Sweet Kaycee Conde, feeding programs are a great help in providing additional food to their children and also encourage them to go to school.
Collaborative Implementation
To implement the program, the Provincial School Board will work with the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO), the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO), the Provincial Health Office, the Department of Education (DepEd) and local government units. Baricuatro assured that while teachers will help facilitate the feeding program, they will not carry the burden of preparing the meals and doing logistical work beyond their profession. “We have purchased mobile kitchens and the PSWDO will help facilitate the program while PDRRMO will cook the meals,” said Baricuatro. He also added that the Province will work alongside DepEd, which has its separate feeding program targeting students from Grades 1 to 3.
Malnutrition and Illiteracy
According to the 2025 Operation Timbang (OPT) Plus survey released by the National Nutrition Council (NNC) 7, Cebu Province has 20,664 stunted children, 8,672 underweight children and 7,152 children suffering from acute malnutrition. The report showed that Cebu consistently ranked second in Central Visayas across key malnutrition indicators. In a press briefing last March 18, Gov. Pamela Baricuatro identified malnutrition as a leading cause of the province’s illiteracy rate, saying that hungry students could not perform well in school. During the launch of this year’s Nutrition Month, the Provincial Government announced that they will deploy seven mobile kitchens, distribute 600,000 Vitamin A capsules and 300,000 iron supplements and allocate a total of P12.65 million worth of nutritional supplements for toddlers and pregnant women.
