Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan urged the government to realign a portion of the budget allocated for flood control projects and instead use it to fund his proposed free breakfast program for Filipino students.
In his statement, Pangilinan underscored the importance of free breakfast in schools, saying it would help reduce dropout rates caused by poverty and address the country’s persistent problem of child malnutrition.
Aquino chairs the Basic Education Committee, Pangilinan the Agriculture and Agrarian Reform Committee, and Gatchalian the Finance Committee.
📷: Kiko Pangilinan, Facebook
“Base na rin doon sa ililipat ‘yun ilang pondo ng flood control dahil ito ay malulustay lamang at hindi kailangan o kaya ay inaayos pa, ilagay natin sa ganitong klaseng programa,” Pangilinan said during a Senate Committee on Basic Education, Agriculture, Food, Agrarian Reform and Finance hearing on Thursday, September 11.
The senator further stressed that the program would also benefit Filipino farmers, noting that the Sagip Saka Act would allow the government to directly purchase fresh produce from local farmers for the feeding program.
“Direktang makikinabang din ang ating mga magsasaka at mangingisda. Sa pamamagitan ng Sagip Saka Act, maaaring bilhin ng gobyerno nang direkta sa kanila ang pagkain para sa feeding program—sariwa na, masustansya pa, at dagdag kita para sa ating food producers,” he added.
It may be recalled that during the 2025 midterm elections, Pangilinan’s campaign focused heavily on agriculture reform and free breakfast for students—a platform that propelled him from the 14–18 range in pre-election surveys to a 5th-place finish in the official senatorial results.