Quezon City 5th district Rep. Patrick Michael Vargas has called for the immediate enactment of the measure seeking to strengthen the National Nutrition Program in a bid to provide every public school student nationwide access to adequate and safe food.

This, after the House of Representatives passed on third and final reading during plenary session Wednesday, June 3 House Bill (HB) No. 9466.

The full title of HB No. 9466 reads, "An act converting the national feeding program into a national nutrition program by expanding its scope and coverage and enhancing its support mechanisms, and appropriating funds therefor, amending for the purpose Republic Act no. 11037, or the 'Masustansyang Pagkain para sa Batang Pilipino Act'".

Vargas is a co-author of the measure, which aims to implement universal feeding for all learners from Kindergarten to Grade 3, regardless of their nutritional status. The bill also mandates targeted feeding for undernourished students from Grades 4 to 6.

HB No. 9466 needs a counterpart measure in the Senate for it to prosper into a law.

“Kapag gutom at hindi wasto ang nutrisyon ng estudyante, hihina ang kanilang pag-absorb ng mga tinuturo sa eskwelahan at mapag-iiwanan sila sa klase (When students are hungry and lack proper nutrition, their ability to absorb lessons in school weakens and they fall behind in class). The opening of classes this Monday is a timely reminder for us to address this problem,” Vargas said, referring to the opening of school year 2026-2027 last June 8.

Earlier, the House deputy majority leader said that data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) shows that 76 percent of 15-year-old Filipino students fall short of minimum reading proficiency expectations.

The same PISA report highlighted that 12 percent of Filipino learners reported going to school hungry every day or every other day due to a lack of food at home, establishing a strong correlation between hunger and lower academic scores.

Vargas also said that data from the Department of Science and Technology - Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST-FNRI) reveals that 1 in 5 school children aged 5-10 years, or roughly 2.7 million children nationwide, remain stunted due to chronic undernutrition.

Meanwhile, a report from the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (PPAN) states that the country loses around P328 billion annually, or 2.84% of the GDP, due to productivity losses arising from childhood stunting, grade repetition, and premature mortality related to malnutrition.

“This shows that undernourishment in our students brings health and economic concerns. By ensuring that our children receive adequate nutrition, dalawang problema po agad ang nabibigyan natin ng solusyon,” Vargas said.

To guarantee the quality and safety of the distributed food, HB No.5681 mandates the establishment of a Central Kitchen in every Schools Division Office.

These centralized kitchens will be operated, maintained, and supervised by the Department of Education (DepEd) to streamline and ensure the safe preparation of fortified hot meals for targeted beneficiaries for no less than 160 days in a year, Vargas said.

The second-termer from Quezon City appealed to his fellow lawmakers to pass the proposed law, even as he emphasized that investing in youth nutrition wasn't a mere welfare intervention, but a strategic measure for national development.

"If we want to raise the standards of learning in our public schools and ensure the welfare of our children, we must adequately fund and fix their nutrition,” Vargas said.