Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan is looking at tapping the private sector to augment funding and access for his Libreng Almusal (free breakfast) initiative, a program aimed at addressing child hunger and improving learning outcomes in public schools across the country.
In a joint Senate hearing on Thursday, September 11, the senator emphasized the crucial role that nutritious meals play in early childhood development and academic performance. He also underscored the need for private sector support to address the funding challenges of the program.
“Pwede rin sa technical working group mapag-aralan yung corporate social responsibilities ng mga Jollibee, McDonald’s in areas wherein their presence is available, na pwede rin sila part of the effort yung private sector dahil yan naman ang pinakamalalim din ang bulsa,” he said.
“Part of it would be private sector public sector synergy in augmenting the program with their own interventions,” the senator added.
The public hearing jointly held by the Committees of Basic Education, Agriculture, Local Government, and Finance is currently studying, among others, Pangilinan’s proposed Senate Bill No. 219–or the Libreng Almusal Act—which will provide free breakfast meals for kindergarten and senior high school students in public schools.
According to the senator, public-private collaboration is key to scaling the program nationwide.
He highlighted several areas where the private sector can contribute, including food donations, logistics, financial sponsorships, and volunteer engagement.
“Some European countries have this mandate on food being donated to charitable institutions, for example. Maybe the law, as it stands, (can) allow for private sector participation in terms of providing contributions or donations,” Pangilinan said.
“Maybe we can expand that to include private sector donations to the feeding programs as a possible synergy between government, DepEd, and the private sector, particularly the food and beverage industry,” he added.
The Libreng Almusal measure is part of the senator’s broader advocacy to strengthen food security and child welfare.
It also aims to improve farmers’ income since a portion of the budget intended for the food program will be allocated to buying farmers’ and fisherfolk’s produce under the Sagip Saka Act—the 2019 law he authored and passed to allow national government agencies and local government units to buy directly from farmers and fisherfolk without public bidding.