The Department of Social Welfare and Development-Davao Region (DSWD-Davao) is targeting to serve approximately 91,516 children under its Supplementary Feeding Program (SFP) in 2026, marking an increase from 89,879 beneficiaries in the previous year.
Growing enrollment drives expansion
Larraine T. Villaver, head of the Supplementary Feeding Program, attributed the rise to a growing number of children enrolled in Child Development Centers (CDCs) across the region. She noted that the program once served as many as 122,400 children, but enrollment declined after many five-year-olds transitioned to kindergarten classes under the Department of Education.
Villaver emphasized that all children enrolled in CDCs are eligible for the feeding program, regardless of their nutritional status. "Regardless of nutritional status, whether the child is underweight, overweight, of normal weight, or stunted, we still provide feeding as long as the child is enrolled in the Child Development Center," she said during Kapehan sa Dabaw on July 6 at SM City Davao.
Budget constraints and nutritional challenges
Villaver acknowledged that the current meal budget of P25 per child remains insufficient to provide a fully balanced hot meal. She explained that the amount barely covers the cost of rice, but DSWD nutritionists continue to develop menus and recipes that maximize the available budget while meeting children's nutritional needs.
To supplement hot meals, the program also provides alternative food items such as NutriBun, NutriCookies, and Nutricombo, which cost less to prepare. Villaver said the DSWD central office has proposed increasing the meal budget and expressed hope that the additional funding will be approved to improve the food provided to beneficiaries.
Program history and implementation
Launched in 2011, the Supplementary Feeding Program operates on a 120-day feeding cycle each year, serving hot meals consisting of rice and viand as well as alternative fortified food products. The program is currently implemented in all 49 local government units in Davao Region that operate Child Development Centers.
