Mandatory Feeding Program Signed Into Law
Undernutrition among Filipino children remains a serious problem. To address this, President Rodrigo Duterte has taken steps in institutionalizing a comprehensive national feeding program.
On June 20, the Republic Act 11037 or the Masustansyang Pagkain para sa Batang Pilipino Act was approved. It requires a feeding program in public day care, kindergarten, and elementary schools.
Government agencies are mandated to create a five-year plan to fully implement this program and to establish the National Nutrition Information System. This system is designed to identify individuals, groups, and localities that have the “highest magnitude of hunger and malnutrition” by gathering all the national and local nutrition databases from national government agencies (NGAs), local government units (LGUs), and other relevant agencies.
“This system shall henceforth be utilized in monitoring the health and nutrition of all Filipino children, especially those covered by the program,” according to the RA 11037.
Donations for the program via NGAs and LGUs are exempted from donor’s tax. If the donations are food products, they will have to be subjected to approval by the National Nutrition Council. In case of vaccine and supplements, the Department of Health will be in charge of its approval.
From the effectivity of the law, government agencies have 90 days to propagate the implementing rules and regulations.
“The signing of Republic Act 11037 is clear proof of the President’s dedication to afford every Filipino child of the right to proper healthcare and nutrition benefits,” said presidential spokesperson Harry Roque in a statement.
“It is a testament that the Duterte administration recognizes the importance of good nutrition to our children’s ability to develop into physically and mentally healthy individuals.”
Roque also added that the Duterte administration vows to fight hunger and undernutrition among Filipino children “for we consider it a sin for the government to be unable to spend billions worth of budget while around six million Filipino youths suffer from acute malnutrition.”
“We therefore welcome the passage of this law to safeguard them from the ill effects of undernourishment and subsequently enhance their learning capacities,” he said.
via GMA News Online / Virgil Lopez
