MANILA — Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan said the 2026 national budget addresses hunger by improving child nutrition while providing direct income to Filipino farmers through the purchase of locally produced milk for public schools.

Pangilinan said the budget requires public schools to buy milk from local dairy farmers, allowing the government to tackle hunger on two fronts.

“Sa pagkakataong ito, tinatalaga ng pambansang badyet na bumili ang mga public school ng gatas sa mga lokal na maggagatas. Dalawa agad ang lulutasing problema nito sa gutom: nutrisyon ng mga batang Pilipino at kita ng mga magsasaka (At present, the national budget requires that public schools buy milk from local dairy farmers. This way, we fight hunger on two fronts: nutrition for children and income for farmers),” said Pangilinan, a bicameral conference committee panel member and vice chairperson of the Senate Committee on Finance.

He said the initiative aligns expanded school-feeding programs, early childhood interventions, and the principles of the Sagip Saka Act, which allows government agencies to directly purchase food from local producers without public bidding.

“Merong convergence sa expanded school-feeding, early-childhood interventions, at sa mga prinsipyo ng Sagip Saka dahil magkakaugnay ang kalusugan ng ating mga anak sa presyo ng pagkain at sa kita ng mga nagpapakain sa atin (There’s convergence in expanded school-feeding, early-childhood interventions, and Sagip Saka principles because our children’s health is related to the price of food and to the income of those who feed us),” Pangilinan said.

Budget documents showed that funding for the Philippine Carabao Center more than doubled to ₱2.08 billion, largely due to a ₱1.12-billion milk feeding component for Department of Education schools. The National Dairy Authority also received a ₱2.38-billion allocation, including ₱1.85 billion for the milk component of the School-Based Feeding Program.

Pangilinan said linking local dairy production to school feeding programs reflects his push for outcome-focused agriculture that supports both farmers’ incomes and public health.

He also cited a joint study by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies and the United Nations Children’s Fund Philippines, which found that one in four Filipino children is stunted due to chronic malnutrition linked to economic inequalities. The study showed that stunting rates reach 40 percent in the poorest households.

Released in October in the book “Raising the Bar: Understanding and Solving Chronic Malnutrition in the Philippines,” the study said the 24 percent stunting rate is equivalent to about 2.6 million Filipino children under five.

“Ibig sabihin ng pag-aaral, kung hindi tayo gagalaw agad-agad, 2.6 milyong batang Pilipino ang magiging mahina hindi lang sa pangangatawan kundi pati sa pag-iisip (The study means that if we don’t act right away, 2.6 million Filipino children will become weak not only physically but mentally),” Pangilinan said.

“Malusog ang hinaharap ng bansa kung malusog ang kabataan (Healthy young people means a healthy future for the country),” he added, noting the need for sustained funding and stronger coordination with health and education agencies to ensure long-term impact.