PROJECT Alaga, the proposed school-based feeding program of the Davao City government, is expected to begin its pilot implementation this month after the Sangguniang Panlungsod completes the legislative process and the Memorandum of Agreement between the city government and the Department of Education receives final approval, according to Councilor Antoinette Principe.
Principe, chairperson of the Committee on Education, said the proposed measure will be submitted for second reading next week after the committee completed a series of hearings to discuss the implementation of the school-based feeding program.
She expressed hope that the ordinance granting authority to the city mayor to sign the Memorandum of Agreement with the Department of Education will gain the support of her fellow councilors.
"We will submit the item for second reading next week because we have already conducted committee hearings purposely to tackle the school-based feeding program. I hope my colleagues will be supportive of that. Hopefully within this month or next month we will be having the pilot testing already for the school-based feeding program," Principe said during the Pulong Pulong sa Dabawenyos on June 30, 2026, at the Sangguniang Panlungsod.
She explained that the committee hearings were also conducted to finalize the Memorandum of Agreement, which has already been submitted to the City Legal Office for legal opinion. Once the legal review is completed, the mayor may sign the agreement after receiving authority from the Sangguniang Panlungsod.
Despite the pending approval, Principe said preparations for the implementation have already been completed. She said the city government benchmarked the central kitchen and farm on-site kitchen models in Valenzuela City as early as October and December last year to guide the development of the program in Davao City.
She added that several city offices, including the City Planning and Development Office, City Engineer's Office, City Agriculture Office, City Budget Office, City Social Welfare and Development Office, and other offices under the City Mayor's Office, have already undergone capacity-building activities to prepare for the implementation of the program.
Principe said menu planning was completed between February and March, resulting in a finalized cycle menu for meals to be prepared in the on-site kitchens.
Capacity training on the procurement of raw materials has also been conducted to ensure that food supplies will come from cooperatives and local organizations in Davao City, providing additional support to local producers.
She emphasized that while the Davao City government has allocated funding for the initiative, the Department of Education-Davao City will oversee the implementation of the feeding program. She also noted that funds for the project are already available following the approval of Supplemental Budget No. 1, allowing the city government to support the implementation once all legal requirements have been completed. CATHY JANE ORIAS SPAMAST/ SUNSTAR DAVAO INTERN
