Iloilo City Passes Ordinance for Preschool Feeding Program

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

The Iloilo City government is enhancing its nutrition efforts for early childhood learners with the passage of an ordinance institutionalizing a citywide feeding program for preschoolers.

The Iloilo City Council approved the ordinance during its regular session on Wednesday, April 16, establishing a sustained feeding program in all Child Development Centers and ensuring annual funding for its implementation.

The measure, authored by Councilor Frances Grace Parcon, chairperson of the Committee on Women and Family Relations, aims to make the feeding program a permanent part of the city’s education and nutrition services.

“One of the main reasons why we proposed this ordinance is for budget allocation, so that it will not only be supplemental, but every year, it will be budgeted for our children,” Parcon said in an interview.

The ordinance allots PHP22 million for the program, sourced from the city’s Special Education Fund, which is drawn from Real Property Tax collections.

This funding will supplement the March 2025 memorandum of agreement between the city government and the Department of Social Welfare and Development for a feeding program covering children aged 2 to 5 enrolled in the city’s CDCs.

Parcon said the current MOA supports only 7,611 beneficiaries, which falls short of the more than 10,099 preschoolers enrolled in the city’s CDCs for the 2024–2025 school year.

She explained that the existing funds from the MOA are insufficient, prompting the city to provide additional budget support.

“The set amount under the MOA entered into by the city government and the DSWD is not sufficient to cover the estimated number of students for the next school year,” she said.

“For the school year 2025 to 2026, the CSWDO is expecting more or less 10,000 enrollees,” she added.

“There is a need for the city government to allocate additional budget through an ordinance for the said purpose.”

The ordinance also establishes collaboration with the City Health Office through the Iloilo City Nutrition Center, which will provide technical assistance in developing nutritionally appropriate meal plans.

City government data show there are 23 CDCs in Arevalo, 29 in the City Proper, 24 in Jaro I, 25 in Jaro II, 29 in La Paz, 14 in Lapuz, 21 in Mandurriao and 24 in Molo.