COUNCILOR Antoinette Principe said Davao City aims to launch the pilot implementation of a school-based feeding program within the incoming academic year.
Principe, chair of the City Council committee on education, science, and technology, said the city is preparing to implement “Project Advancing Learners through Accessible, Guaranteed and Adequate Nutrition,” or Project Alaga.
“We are in the stage where perhaps in the succeeding sessions we will be presenting the memorandum of agreement between DepEd and the city, and we endeavor to implement the pilot of the school-based feeding program for this incoming school year,” Principe said during the Pulong-Pulong sa Dabawenyos on Tuesday, May 12, at the Sangguniang Panlungsod.
Principe said the city initially considered adopting a central kitchen model but later shifted to a hybrid setup because of Davao City’s vast land area.
Under the plan, the city will establish a central kitchen at Sta. Ana Elementary School in Barangay 28-C, which will implement universal feeding.
The kitchen will also serve nearby schools, including Agdao Elementary School, Barangay Kapitan Monteverde, and Cong. Manuel M. Garcia Elementary School in Barangay Leon Garcia, Jose Rizal Elementary School-Manuel Roxas in Barangay 28-C, and Zonta Elementary School in Barangay 23-C.
For schools located in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas, or Gida, Principe said the city will establish separate kitchens and implement selective feeding programs.
Among the schools identified for their own kitchens are Baksarpa Elementary School, Malakeba Elementary School, Manawang Elementary School, Tagaibo Elementary School, Kabangbang Elementary School, Sumilop Elementary School, and Upian Elementary School.
Principe said the city completed menu planning and development in 2025, while kitchen personnel had already undergone training on food sanitation and hygiene standards.
She said the feeding program differs from previous initiatives that distributed NutriBun and milk because students will receive hot lunch meals.
The program has an initial allocation of P20 million for infrastructure and kitchen personnel salaries. However, Principe said the bulk of the funding will come from the Department of Education, which allocated P25 per child for 200 days under the school-based feeding program.
She added that the number of beneficiaries has yet to be finalized pending enrollment figures for Academic Year 2026-2027.
Principe said she plans to present the proposed measure for second reading before the 21st City Council and hopes lawmakers will support it. She added that her committee already submitted the proposed memorandum of agreement between DepEd and the city government to the City Legal Office for review.
During a privilege speech on March 10, Principe raised concerns over malnutrition among schoolchildren in Davao City and pushed for stronger interventions to address hunger and improve learning outcomes.
She sought legislative authority to establish the feeding program in partnership with DepEd, stressing that hunger directly affects a child’s ability to learn. RGP
