Two senators on Wednesday called for the immediate passage of the proposal seeking to address hunger of students in public schools and provide additional livelihood for farmers and fishermen.
During his sponsorship speech for Senate Bill No. 1279 or the Pagkaing Pinoy Para sa Batang Pinoy Act, Senator Bam Aquino urged his colleagues to institutionalizes an effective feeding program for students of public kindergarten and elementary schools.
The proposed bill is also co-sponsored by Sen. Grace Poe.
Sen. Aquino, who chairs the Committee on Education pointed out that feeding programs will be sustained by local gardens, farmers and fishermen, and powered by community engagement and volunteerism.
“Through this policy, infants and school children in the kindergarten and elementary levels will enjoy free regular access to nutritious food,” the senator said, who also authored Senate Bill No. 694, which was consolidated in Senate Bill No. 1279 together with Senate Bill Nos. 23, 123, 160 and 548.
If enacted into law, he said the Department of Education will be mandated to ensure that students from Kindergarten to Grade 6 are provided with proper meals.
“Through this policy, school children in the kindergarten and elementary levels will enjoy free regular access to nutritious food with the Department of Education ensuring that students from kindergarten to grade 6 are provided with proper meals,” he added.
The proposal will utilize locally sourced and locally produced food products to support local farmers and fishermen, providing them with regular income and livelihood.
The senator also presented a 2012 data from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) that said 16 million Filipino children are considered undernourished.
The same data also showed that the average age of the 11 million Filipino farmers and fishermen is 57 years old while the average annual income of a farmer is only about 20,000 pesos.
“The Pagkaing Pinoy Para sa Batang Pinoy Act can be that link between hungry young Filipinos and anxious farmers and fishermen,” Senator Aquino said.
The proposed bill will also push for the establishment of “Gulayan sa Paaralan” program to promote gardening in schools and households, which will help augment the food needs of the program and instill a sense of appreciation for food production within the community.
“With the full support of fellow lawmakers, we can definitely pass this measure quickly and, finally, feed our poor and hungry students across the country,” he added.
